Cinderella of the Nile: One Story, Many Voices Series

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Clearly this king was winning no popularity contests, so the disgruntled officers decided to take matters into their own hands. They planned a coup and overthrew Farouk's center of power in Cairo. At the time, he was (of course) neglecting the throne to picnic in Alexandria with his family. Farouk tried in vain to get the USA or Britain to intervene on his behalf. One of the king’s stipulations for Narriman was decidedly unromantic. He wanted her to lose weight before the wedding. Her diet in Rome accordingly helped her achieve her fiancé's desired weight of 110lbs. Farouk, meanwhile, weighed around 300. Girls, take note: If he has issues with the way you look, just dump him. Even if he happens to be king. Rhodopis' journey takes her from Greece to Egypt, where similarities with our more modern versions of Cinderella begin to please the reader; jealousy and goodness, slippers and invitations and a happy ending.

Beverly Naidoo does an outstanding retelling of this version of Cinderella, which is based on the writings of the Greek historian Strabo and Herodotus. In it, she is a red-headed Greek girl who is taken to Egypt as a slave. Majan Vafaeian's illustrations are exotic and colorful. Simply beautiful! minutes or less is all it takes to elevate your Healthcare knowledge with our expert-curated weekly AI newsletter. Your child may be confident to read the story independently however it is fun to share the reading – parts could be ‘performed’ or read together for example Rhodopis’ song ‘Blow wind blow…’, Aesop’s story and conversations between the characters. This is not only good fun but can also help children gain a fuller understanding of the story and the language. Talk about the story

Cinderella of the Nile is an eclectic mix of fairy tale and folklore. The reader, or explorer of a new world, follows Rhodopis on her journey. It is a story woven with golden threads of hopeful words from characters who hold wisdom, courage and kindness – traits which enhance Rhodopis’ beauty. Her kind actions radiate a pure and unrivalled beauty that ultimately gives her the happy ending she truly deserves. This is athree-session spelling seed for the book Cinderella of the Nile by Beverley Naidoo. Below is the coverage from Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum 2014.

The story of Cinderella is much older than I thought and Cinderella of the Nile is so similar and yet so different from the ‘traditional’ version. Cinderella has always been my favourite fairy tale and it is only recently that I have researched its origins to find the story started life in Egypt 3,500 years ago.Cinderella of the Nile is a story that crosses ages – children across the primary age range will enjoy and become entranced by this timeless tale. Sold again in Egypt, she is given a pair of rose-red slippers. But when Horus the Falcon sweeps in to steal a slipper, Rhodopis has little idea that this act will lead her to the King of Egypt. The storyteller Aesop is a significant character in the story. His tales armour Rhodopis with strength and courage to continue to be kind; have courage and be kind – immortalised words found in the well-known Cinderella fairy-tale version. Remember how Narriman liked the King more than her old fiancé because of his tall stature? Well, King Farouk's appeal was beginning to dwindle. After the wedding, the King put on weight and began to lose his hair. Once the glamor of becoming queen had expired, Narriman became “bored” of the royal lifestyle and increasingly uninterested in her hubby. Beverley Naidoo joined the resistance to apartheid as a student in South Africa, leading to detention without trial and exile. She began writing while working as a teacher in Britain. Her first novel, Journey to Jo’burg, was originally banned in South Africa but opened a window for children elsewhere.