Based on the musical Cinderella Battistella, created by Bob Bruce and David Cuthbert with music by Feddie Palmisano, this picture book captures all of the 1950s charm of the original performances. Artist Tony O. Champagne’s original artwork pulls from iconic New Orleans images to set the stage and add depth to the tale narrated by Mother LeRoux. In a fractured Louisiana-flavored retelling of the classic Cinderella fairytale, evil stepsisters Tangipahoa and Feliciana (named after familiar locations) head off to the Twelfth Night Ball hosted by king cake king Harvey Canale, Sr., to snag the young Harve Jr. It’s a good thing Cinderella has her Ferry Godmother and a few crustacean companions to offer up some laughs, spice, and hocus-pocus! With a hilarious mix-up and some mismatched romances, Bruce, Cuthbert, and Champagne provide a sassy, sly, and witty tale for all ages.
About the Authors
Bob Bruce and David Cuthbert first produced their Southern version of Cinderella as a stage play. Since the 1970s, they have coauthored more than a dozen plays that have been performed all over the country. Bruce has worked as a scenery and costume designer for the New Orleans Recreation Department as well as for theaters around the city, including Le Petit and Rivertown Repertory Theater. Cuthbert worked for more than forty years for the New Orleans Times-Picayune as a reporter, reviewer, and feature writer.
About the Illustrator
Tony O. Champagne is a graduate of Tulane University and has worked as staff illustrator, designer, and photographer for the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He produces visual work with his studio, TOC7Graphics.
CINDERELLA BATTISTELLA
By Bob Bruce and David Cuthbert
Illustrated by Tony O. Champagne
JUVENILE FICTION / Fairy Tales & Folklore / Adaptations
32 pp. 11 x 8 1/2
31 color illus. Glossary
Ages 5-12 Grades K-7
ISBN: 9781455621750