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What do you get when you take Cinderella's glass slipper and transport it to the Middle East? The Golden Sandal! Rebecca Hickox's delightful retelling of an Iraqi folktale "The Little Red Fish and the Clog of Gold" has all the makings of any good Cinderella story--the mean stepmother, the young oppressed girl, a big shindig, a kind, magical creature who helps the girl dress up for the event, an enamored young man, a lost-and-found shoe, and the promise of a happy ending.

However, with the Arabian twist, the girl's name is Maha, the benevolent creature is a fish, the shindig is a "grand henna," and the shoe that ultimately saves Maha from a cruel fate is none other than a golden sandal.

Rebecca Hickox, author of Zorro and Quwi, Per and the Dala Horse and Matreshka, teams up with the well-loved illustrator Will Hillenbrand of The Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Counting Crocodiles, and the award-winning Wicked Jack to create this fresh twist on a familiar tale--guaranteed to keep youngsters riveted until the satisfying ending when justice prevails! (Ages 4 to 8)

From Booklist , April 1, 1998
Ages 5--8. Youngsters who have read Ai-ling Louie's Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China (1990) may notice similarities in this retelling of an old Iraqi Cinderella tale.

Hillenbrand's illustrations capture a strong sense of place: women carry trays and jugs of water on their heads, and chickens outnumber dogs and cats on the streets. Dark-haired, dark-eyed, overworked Maha, the Cinderella character, stands in sharp contrast to her vain, lazy stepsister, another motif even the youngest child will quickly identify.

However, some children won't understand why the male character, Tariq, wants to find and marry Maha when he hasn't met her (there's no dancing at a ball in this version) or why Tariq's horse won't drink from the water under the bridge.

Even so, they'll sympathize with Maha and gasp in mock horror when the mean stepsister gets her due--a whole new look. Karen Morgan Copyright© 1998, American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Kirkus Reviews , February 15, 1998
Hickox (Zorro and Quwi, 1997) finds her Cinderella in Maha, a fairy godmother in a red fish that Maha shows mercy to, and the lost slipper in a golden sandal, discovered by Tariq, brother of a rich merchant, who then takes on the search for his bride- to-be.

When he arrives at Maha's house, her stepmother conceals her in an outdoor bread oven, but a happily-ever-after ending is as integral to this Iraqi version of the story as it is to other retellings.

An illustrator's note explains the complex process undertaken for the artwork, done in stages with oils, oil pastel, egg tempera, watercolor, crayon and pencil on vellum, but what readers will come away with is an appreciation for the unusual setting, comic characters, and the age-old emotions and resolutions that rule this story. (Picture book/folklore. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Horn Book
Maha, the beloved daughter of a widowed fisherman from Iraq, joins the burgeoning ranks of beguiling picture-book Cinderellas from around the world. In this simply written version, Maha's father gives in to his daughter's urgings that he marry their "good neighbor," thereby giving her a mother and sister.

Maha's fortunes alter-for the worse-and her needed fairy godmother appears as a red fish whose life Maha has spared. Maha earns the fish's eternal gratitude and a red fish earring dangling from her ear. A concluding note from author and illustrator records their respective research in bringing a new and appealing version of "Cinderella" to young readers. -- Copyright © 1998 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

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