Tiny Treasury

A reader asks:

Last month, you were talking about Cinderella, which I always assumed was a book written for Disney. But now I hear it’s based on a German fairytale. What’s the real story?

My answer:

Cinderella is one of those stories that has been around for so long, and in so many versions, that it’s hard to tell for sure. There are stories similar to Cinderella in Chinese manuscripts from as early as 850AD, as well as Greco-Roman versions.

However, French Author Charles Perrault (1628-1703) is widely credited as the author of the story as we know it today, having penned a version called Cendrillon in 1697. He is also reported to have written Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, and Bluebeard.

The German version that you’re referring to is Aschenputtel (literally “Cinder Slut”) and was memorialized by the famous Brothers Grimm in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm were widely known for their collections of what we now call “fairy tales.”

As for the Disney version? It didn’t come along until 1950.

Got a question for me for Tell Me True? Post in the comments below or email me and I’ll do my very best to find your answer.

Cinderella, Disney, Charles Perrault, Brothers Grimm

It’s Tell Me True Tuesday!

A reader wants to know, “Has a Newbery award winner ever won multiple times?”

Okay, my eyes are actually crossed from counting this one… In terms of medals, E.L. Konigsburg (The View from Saturday and From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler), Joseph Krumgold (Onion Stone and And Now Miguel), Lois Lowry (The Giver and Number the Stars), Katherine Paterson (Jacob Have I Loved and Bridge to Terabithia) and Elizabeth George Speare (The Witch of Blackbird Pond and The Bronze Bow) have all been awarded two Newbery Medals.

A number of authors have been the recipient of multiple Newbery honor awards including Russell Freedman, Nancy Farmer, Gary Paulsen, Virginia Hamilton, Padraic Colum, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Laura Ingalls Wilder, each of whom have won at least three honor awards.

For a complete list of winners, visit the American Library Association’s web site.

It’s Tell Me True Tuesday!

A reader wants to know, “How many books did Carolyn Keene write? And is it true that she also wrote the Hardy Boys books under a different name?”

I’ll answer the second question first. No, Carolyn Keene did not author the Hardy Boys books. I’ll post about those in the future.

The reason that I can say that emphatically is because (and hold onto your hats, you Nancy Drew idealists) Carolyn Keene isn’t a real person. And she’s not just a pseudonym for one person. She is a pseudonym for many people. (more…)

A reader wants to know, “What is the best selling children’s book of all time?”

Okay, this is a much harder question than I thought it would be. According to Publishers Weekly, the top selling hardback book through the end of 2000 was The Poky Little Puppy.

1. The Poky Little Puppy, Janette Sebring Lowrey (1942)
2. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter (1902)
3. Tootle, Gertrude Crampton (1945)
4. Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss (1960)
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling (2000)
6. Pat the Bunny, Dorothy Kunhardt (1940)
7. Saggy Baggy Elephant, Kathryn and Byron Jackson (1947)
8. Scuffy the Tugboat, Gertrude Crampton (1955)
9. The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss (1957)
10. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling (1999)
11. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling (1999)
12. Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein (1974)
13. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, Dr. Seuss (1960)
14. The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein (1964)
15. The Littlest Angel, Charles Tazewell (1946)
16. Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss (1963)
17. Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, Dr. Seuss (1990)
18. Dr. Seuss’s ABC, Dr. Seuss (1960)
19. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J. K. Rowling (1998)
20. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (1969)

You can see the rest of the list of hardback best sellers here. (more…)

It’s the first official installment of Tell Me True, my new feature where you ask a question that you’ve been dying to know about a children’s book, author or illustrator and I do my darnedest to find out the answer for you.

Today’s question, courtesy of a reader in Miami, Florida is:

The answer?

Dr. Seuss (real name: Theodore Geisel) attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where he was editor-in-chief of the Jack-O-Lantern, Dartmouth’s humor magazine. He also attended Oxford University in England as a grad student but did not, in fact, graduate.

To play along, send me your questions!

Dr. Seuss, Theodore Geisel, Dartmouth College, Jack-O-Lantern, Oxford University