Bibliography
De la Paz, M. (2001). Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella. Ill. By Youshan Tang. Auburn, CA: Shen's Books. ISBN 1885008171
Plot Summary
Abadeha is a young Filipino girl lives with her father, stepmother and stepsisters after her mother passes away. Because Abadeha’s father is away on fishing trips, Stepmother treats Abadeha as if she were a slave. One day, Stepmother throws handkerchiefs at her and demands, “Wash these two handkerchiefs until the white one turns black and the black one turns white” (de la Paz, 2001). Abadeha is so upset, she runs to the riverbank and weeps as she remembers the happy times when her mother was still alive. As her tears fall, she suddenly sees several spirits appear before her eyes. The spirits help her with the impossible handkerchief task, as well as several other jobs that Stepmother insists upon. The spirits present Abadeha with a beautiful sarimanok bird. When Stepmother sees the plump and full bird, she chops the head off and cooks it for dinner. Abadeha takes the deceased bird’s feet and buries them next to her mother’s grave. After the rainy season, Abadeha returns to the plot to see a beautiful jewel encrusted tree growing from the sarimanok's grave. This tree is discovered by a handsome prince who places one of the tree’s golden rings on his finger. The prince’s finger swells badly around the ring, causing it to become fixed on his hand. During the night, the prince has a dream that tells him that the one girl who can remove the ring will be his new bride. When the prince’s news is announced, several girls from the islands flock to try their hand at removing the ring. Abadeha asked to go as well, but Stepmother was shocked at this request and proceeds to lock her stepdaughter away. The spirits came and freed Abadeha from her confinement, and told her to go to the prince. Abadeha, filthy and haggard, tenderly removed the prince’s ring, while onlookers were astonished. The prince found his bride. Abadeha and the prince celebrated a very beautiful and joyous wedding. Abadeha's father felt so proud of his daughter, and decided to banish Stepmother and her daughters to the chicken yard. Happiness and love flourished between Abadeha and her prince.
Critical Analysis
Myrna J. de la Paz’s Abadeha: A Philippine Cinderella is an excellent folktale variant of the Cinderella story. De la Paz really captures the agony and struggle that the Cinderella character, Abadeha, must endure each and every day. Stepmother is depicted as a very cruel and threatening woman. The illustrations of Stepmother portray her as a selfish woman who holds a great amount of resentment towards her stepdaughter. Abadeha is very obedient; doing loads of cleaning and cooking, but never receives recognition for her hard work. The author does a tremendous job telling the reader how much Abadeha misses her deceased mother, and how she wishes her life could be full of joy and happiness once again. When the spirits present Abadeha with the sarimanok bird, the reader begins to feel happy for her. I was very jolted when Stepmother grabbed the bird and chopped off its head and feet in order to cook it. Just when it looked like Abadeha was being given happiness, it was quickly taken away. She remains very obedient throughout the story, even though she is going through an immense amount of pain.
I found the concept of the prince’s ring to be very interesting. In the traditional Cinderella story, fitting into a glass slipper is the deciding method to find the prince’s bride. In this retelling, de la Paz chooses to create an item to be taken off by the chosen bride. The prince does not go door to door searching for his bride. Instead, the women must come to him. Because I am part of the Filipino culture, I know that this is a very accepted practice. Women are expected to wait on men and make sure they are being taken care of. Throughout the story, Abadeha is extremely subservient, never once talking back to Stepmother, even though some of us would have liked her to. De la Paz portrayed the young Filipino girl very well. Many of the illustrations depicted Filipino life very accurately. The luscious palm trees, red-orange sunsets, and sarimanok birds are that are very prevalent in the Philippines. By looking at the pictures, I can almost feel the intense humidity that is rampant in the islands. In several pictures, Abadeha is seen using traditional Filipino cooking pots, mango knives, woven mats, and homemade brooms. De la Paz brilliantly captured how life in the Philippines is.
Review Excerpts
Booklist
As de la Paz explains in an author's note, this story, a reconstruction of the Cinderella story from traditional Philippine folklore, has disappeared from mainstream folklore because of Spanish colonization and Americanization. This telling is long, but the details are evocative. The colored pencil art is pleasant but oddly generic. Although the characters are in traditional dress, there is no real feeling of time or place. Still, many libraries, especially those with a Filipino population, will want to have this on hand.
School Library Journal
The illustrations are slightly stiff; often characters' eyes seem to be dark sockets with a resulting look reminiscent of textbook art. The text and art together provide an adequate, if somewhat awkward portrayal of Cinderella.
Connections
Read several different retellings of the Cinderella story. Ask the class to compare and contrast the different stories. By doing this, children can see how cultures have different customs and practices. Have each child create their own Cinderella story. This story can include traditions and customs from their own families. Each child can then read their story to the class.
Additional recommended books
*Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition by Jewell Reinhart Coburn
ISBN 1885008139
*Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella by Robert D. San Souci ISBN 0689848889
*The Irish Cinderlad by Shirley Climo ISBN 0064435776
*Bubba, The Cowboy Prince by Helen Ketteman ISBN 0590255061
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