Cinderella

Cinderella, retold by Alicia Steffann after Charles Perrault, is the classic tale of a kind girl, a fairy godmother, and a glass slipper, read slowly for sleep.

Cinderella lives with her stepmother and two stepsisters, who leave her the cold hearth and the hardest chores. She keeps her house running and never complains, even when her stepfamily gets new gowns and she gets none. When the king announces a grand ball to find a bride for the prince, Cinderella's stepsisters go off in their finest clothes, and Cinderella is left behind in the ashes.

Then her fairy godmother appears. With a wave of her wand, a pumpkin becomes a coach, mice become horses, and Cinderella's rags become a shimmering gown and a pair of glass slippers. There is one rule: she must leave the ball before the clock strikes midnight, or the magic will end. At the palace, the prince cannot take his eyes off her. But when midnight comes, Cinderella runs, and in her hurry she leaves one glass slipper behind on the palace steps.

This is a rags-to-riches fairy tale full of gentle magic, a wicked stepfamily, and a prince who searches the kingdom for the one girl whose foot fits the shoe. It's a story about patience and kindness rewarded, and it's perfect for listeners who love classic fairy tales, happy endings, and the comfort of a story they already know by heart.

There's no hurry to reach the ball or the wedding — only a calm, familiar voice, a page turned slowly, and plenty of room to slip away before the clock ever strikes twelve.