Book Review of The Irish Cinderlad: Fairy Tale About a Boy From the Emerald Isle Folklore of Ireland

Ireland’s Cinderlad answers to Becan. The name becomes him because the redhead measures in the lower ranges for his age as:

• Baby;
• Boy;
• Youth.

Perhaps being carried in egg baskets and fed milk porridge contribute to the “Little One” remaining small … except for super-sized feet. Happy “Little Bigfoot” nevertheless experiences grief at 13, with:

• The death of his mother;
• The remarriage of his needle- and pin-peddling father to a big widow with three large daughters.

He almost expires from:

• Guarding his father’s three purple clover-grazing cows sunup to sundown;
• Supping on crusty scraps.

But a red-speckled, white-faced bull’s red ears harbor noontime, white tablecloth-wrapped meals of:

• Boiled turnips;
• Bread, cheese, sausage;
• Honeyed oaten cakes;
• Partridge pie.

Becan’s bull acts as the Cinderlad’s fairy godfather until fatal encounters with a grey bull. His tail then becomes Becan’s magic belt against:

• A giant refusing to share apple trees and grassy meadows with a gentleman’s donkey, four cows, horse, and three sheep;
• A lizard rising on the Day of the Dragon to devour Princess Finola of Kinsale.

The belt helps Becan to:

• Divest the giant of boots and sword;
• Sink the monster.

But true love is more powerful than any enchantment. The taurine godfather knows when he no longer is needed. Rescuing the king’s daughter means:

• A damaged sword;
• A lost belt;
• A missing boot.

But fitting into the mislaid boot means becoming a royal son-in-law.

The world abounds with Cinderella tales. Cinderella’s story appeals to readers of:

• Ancient formats;
• Modern versions. 

Recognition as an imaginative spin among twentieth-century retellings belongs to The Irish Cinderlad. The 1996-released, U.S.A.-printed book for kindergarteners to second-graders aged 5 – 8+ brings together the experience and expertise of:

• Shirley Climo as author; 
• HarperCollins as publishers; 
• Loretta Krupinski as illustrator. 

Specialists in children’s literature consider the award-winning painter and writer experts in educational entertainment. They esteem the former’s:

• Bluewater Journal; 
• A New England Scrapbook. 

They give the latter super-high marks for:

• Atalanta’s Race and Stolen Thunder, with Alexander Koshkin’s artistry; 
• The Egyptian Cinderella and The Korean Cinderella, with Ruth Heller’s artwork. 

Merging the two talents is a must-own experience.

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Purple clover (Trifolium purpureum): Old World native plant is favored by cows.
The three cows Becan watches for his father enjoy grazing in fields of purple clover.
purple clover (Trifolium purpureum) flowers and leaves: Hanay / EOL staff, CC BY SA 3.0, via Encyclopedia of Life @ https://eol.org/pages/703432/media

Popular biscuit- or cracker-like flatbread of British Isles: Oaten cakes, an oatmeal-based flatbread, is baked in an oven or cooked on a griddle.
Becan enjoys oaten cakes supplied to him by his fairy godfather, a red-speckled, white-faced bull with red ears.
oatcakes: Jon Thomson from London / Kingussie, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oatcakes_(1).jpg

Historic port of Kinsale is hometown of Princess Finola, who sees beyond a rustic boot, into the heart of cowherd Becan.
Kinsale, County Cork, southeastern Republic of Ireland: Christopher Michel, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kinsale_(4693047811).jpg

"Irish Cinderlad" (0:39).
Uploaded June 5, 2015, by Maria Evans to YouTube ~ URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Yed1-WNzTY

cows in Ireland: Irish CinderLad Becan watches cows and then marries a princess.
Kinsale, County Cork, southeastern Republic of Ireland: Christopher Michel, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20100613_kinsaleride_2466_(4696864408).jpg

Ireland's folklore and mythology include legends of dragons.
Irish CinderLad Becan rescues Princess Finola of Kinsale from her fate on the Day of the Dragon in "The Irish CinderLad."
The Dragon Gates at Harlech House, Clonskeagh, Dublin, Republic of Ireland: © Copyright JP and licensed for reuse under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph @ https://www.geograph.ie/photo/990801

Bryant, Sara Cone. 2010. Best Stories to Tell to Children. Illustrated by Patten Wilson. Slough, Berskhire, England: Dodo Press.

Climo, Shirley. 1996. The Irish Cinderland. Illustrated by Loretta Krupinski. New York City, NY: HarperCollins.

Greene, Ellin, 1994. Billy Beg and His Bull: An Irish Tale. Illustrated by Kimberly Bulcken Root. New York City, NY: Holiday House, Inc.  

Hyde, Douglas. 1898. Four Irish Stories. Dublin, Ireland: Gill & Son.

Hyde, Douglas. 1905. “An Tarbh Breac (The Speckled Bull).” Easy Irish Texts, 2. Dublin, Ireland: Gill & Son.

MacManus, Seaumas. 2009. In Chimney Corners: Merry Tales of Irish Folk-Lore. Slough, Berkshire, England: Dodo Press.