Sootface (A Cinderelle Story) by Robert D. San Socui

Bibliography:

Souci, Robert D. San. 1994. Sootface. New York: Doubleday Book for Young Readers. Souci, Daniel San (Illustrator). ISBN 0385312024

Plot Summary:

Sootface is the nickname of young Ojibwa girl given to her two mean and lazy older sisters. The flames from a cooking fire singed Sootface hair and burned her skin. The two mean older sister "sometimes beat her and smeared her face with ashes; then they made fun of her and called her Sootface. "But Sootface dreamed of one day finding a husband. Across the lake loved a might warrior, who had been given the power to make himself invisible by a great medicine man. No one from the village had ever seen him, they had only seen his white moccasins when his sister would hang them beside the door flap. All the villagers know he was a great warrior from all the game his sister set out to dry such as deer. The invisible warrior told his sister to announce tot he village he would marry the woman who could see him. The woman who could see him would be kind and have a honest heart. Of course when Sootface and her sisters heard the news they desired to be the lucky one to marry the invisible warrior. The older sister had Sootface to braid her hair and she put on her fines clothes (deerskin robe) and beaded moccasins as she set off to seek her future husband. Since the she said she could see the warrior, the sister of the invisible warrior asked one question of her, "What was his bow made of?". She answered "rawhide" which was wrong. She returns back to the village very upset and gave Sootface even more work to do. The second sister decides to take her chance and hangs strings of pale shells at her throat and had Sootface weave some pale shells into her long braids. She lies and says she can see the invisible warrior like the oldest sister. She too is asked the "What was his bow made of?". She answers "braided horsehair" and fails the test only to return tot he village in a fury. She scolds Sootface and smears more ashes on her face. Finally Sootface tries her own luck. Without any help from here sisters she prepares herself to meet her future husband. She takes strips of birch bark and sewed them together to make a skirt. She than wove a necklace of wildflower. Also washing her face and adding flowers to her short hair, she crosses over the river ready to see the invisible warrior. She is asked the same question: "What was the invisible warrior's bow made of ?" She answered a "rainbow" because her heart is honest and kind.. Her pure hearts opens her eyes to see the unseen. Sootface happily marries the invisible warrior and leaves her two older sisters to do their own chores.

Critical Analysis:
Robert D. San Souci's Sootface has the typical Cinderella plot of three sister, which the youngest treated unfairly by the older two. The young one is left to do all the chores, dresses in rags but yet at the end finds her true love and lives happily ever after. But the Ojibwa is a little different. Yes, Sootface is the youngest sister but the two older sisters are not mean step-sisters but blood sisters. The dad is off hunting and leaves the older sister in change of Sootface. Like in the original version mistreats Sootface by making her do all the chores (cooking and cleaning). As Sootface is doing one of her many chores (cooking) a fire occurs that singes her hair and burns her face. Her older sisters smear ashes in her face and call her Sootface. These mean sisters are more phyiscal than the original version because I do not recall Cinderella's mean step-sisters phyically abusing her. But Robert D. San Souci version is much more mystical because the warrior (which is the prince in the original version) is invisible and only his white moccasins can be seen. Their isn't any ball and no shoe is left behind. The invisible warrior's sister announces the warrior will marry whoever can see him. But only the woman who is kind and has a honest heart could see him, which is Sootface. Sootface's kindness and honest heart reveals what the invisible warrior bow is made of "a rainbow" and they are married like the Cinderella version and lives happily ever after.
The illustrations are wonderful, one could take them from the book and put them in frames to hang on the wall. The smooth and calming colors are relaxing. hey would make beautiful art work and any art gallery.

Review Excerpt(s):
Children's Literature
One of the strongest retelling voices in America, Robert San Souci recounts Sootface: An Objibwa Cinderella Story. Mistreated by her sister, burned and singed by the cook fire, Sootface dreams of a better life. Dreaming gives her true vision to see and marry the invisible warrior whom every woman desires.

School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-Sootface's mother is dead, her sisters beat her, and her father doesn't intervene. Her face is always smeared with soot, and her hair is horribly singed from the cook fire. In spite of all this, she remains resilient-she knows that one day she will escape her circumstances. A mighty warrior who has the power to make himself invisible decides to marry the woman who is kind enough of heart to see him. Several attractive maidens, including Sootface's sisters, try and fail. Now, Sootface is resourceful-no fairy personage shows up to magically bestow finery upon her or to fix up her hair. She prepares herself the best she can and goes off to meet him. She exclaims on the beauty of his bow-it's made of a rainbow and strung with stardust. He materializes, renames her Dawn-Light, and they are betrothed. The retelling is lively, flows well, and brings out the harshness of the heroine's situation, and yet it is not without humorous touches. The full-page watercolors dramatically convey the natural woodland setting, the jeers of Sootface's sisters and fellow villagers, and the serenity and kindness of the warrior and his sister. Sootface's dazed expression remains rather similar throughout-until the end, when she is transformed by love into a beautiful girl. Altogether a refreshing and rewarding "Cinderella" variant.Vanessa Elder, School Library Journal Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Booklist
Ages 5-9. In this Ojibwa tale, Sootface is a young woman who does all the cooking, mending, and fire tending for her father and her two mean and lazy older sisters. When the mysterious invisible warrior announces through his sister that he will take for his bride a woman with a kind and honest heart, only Sootface proves worthy. The tale has been told before, even in picture-book format, but the San Souci version reads aloud well, and the watercolor artwork illustrates the story with quiet grace. A satisfying picture book for reading aloud or alone, and a good choice for classes studying Native Americans or comparative folklore. Carolyn Phelan --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Connections:
Sootface along with other version of Cinderella Stories can be compared and contrasted by students. Students could write and illustrate their own fractured Cinderella tales and publish it as a class project to display in the school library.