Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella

Papertigers.org

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:15:38 -0800

As part of their tribute to the Philippines and Filipino culture, Papertigers.org has published a review of Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella.

"To recreate this story, rich with cultural references, de la Paz pulled together local religious beliefs and practices and incorporated native flora, fauna, and names into the tale. The soft, colorful illustrations by Youshan Tang paint an evocative picture of indigenous life in the tropical islands. Abadeha:The Philippine Cinderella is a great story for opening the door to a heritage worth preserving."

Thanks, Papertigers!

MultiCultural Review

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:16:54 -0800

Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella by Myrna de la Paz, illus. by Youshan Tang was reviewed in MultiCultural Review

"This variation of Cinderella, adapted from Filipino folklore, bursts forth with illustrations that take on a rainbow-like effect. The story features Abadeha, whose widowed father has recently remarried a selfish woman with daughters of her own. When her stepmother taunts her with impossible tasks, like washing two handkerchiefs until the black one turns white and the white one turns black, Abadeha calls on her mother and other spirits. The Spirit of the Forest solves her problems and gives the girl a sarimanok, a chicken with beautiful feathers. Like the Chinese Yeh-Shen and her magical fish, Abadeha loses her chicken to her stepmother, who cooks it for dinner, and is told by the Spirit to bury the chicken's feet at her mother's grave. A tree full of jewels and treasures grows at the site and is discovered by the son of the island chieftain, who picks a ring from the tree. But when the young man cannot remove the ring and has a dream of a maiden who came, he searches every house for the girl who can remove the ring and vows to make her his wife."

Children's Bookwatch

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:58:23 -0800

Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella by Myrna de la Paz, illus. by Youshan Tang was reviewed in Children's Bookwatch.

"Abadeha is a full-color storybook with an exotic take on a classic fairy tale. Set in the sunny Philippines, it is written to delight young readers with a Filipino native legend based on the Cinderella theme. As the young heroine Abadeha seeks help from the magical Spirit of the Forest, the reader is immersed in a lush natural world. With regional beliefs and practices, native flora, fauna, and even some Filipino linguistic terms, Abadeha turns the familiar into the fantastic."

Rainbo Electronic Reviews

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:47:41 -0800

Abadeha: The Philippine Cinderella by Myrna de la Paz, illus. by Youshan Tang was reviewed by Rainbo Electronic Reviews:

"We all know this fairy tale plot, but it is delightful to find it is told in other cultures. For children from ages 8-12 they will enjoy this aged golden tale as it is told in the Philippines. The young girl who has lost her mother and now lives with a mean-spirited stepmother and selfish stepsisters. Her name is Abadeha and she finds solace from the magical Spirit of the Forest. There is a Prince in this story too, who finds himself bound by a magic ring that can only be removed by one girl. Throughout the book the author teaches us about local religious beliefs and practices, native flora, and linguistic terms. The delighted reader will begin to understand daily life in the Philippines as it would have been more than four hundred years ago. Artist Youshang Tang's lovely color illustration complement this tale. Shen's Books are always unique, even if they produce many other country's stories that rework Cinderella themes imbued with many cultures."

Rainbo Electronic Reviews