This Indonesian version of Cinderella hails from the Moluccas, or Spice Islands--the place to which Christopher Columbus was headed when he found the New World. In 1492 they were the only place in the world where cloves grew. The earliest written version of Cinderella is from China. As the author indicates in the afterward, no one knows where the story originated. But she speculates that Cinderella may have traveled West with the spices.

Damura was a child when her mother taught her to light a fire, cook, and to tend and harvest rice. But she still loved dolls when her mother died. The lorikeet and little green parrot outside in the nutmeg tree were not company enough for her. With a new doll, a neighboring widow bribed Damura into convincing her father to marry her. Her stepmother's two daughters were kind at first, but soon made Damura their servant. She cried at night that she had traded her happiness for a doll.

One day as she washed the family's clothes, she lost her sarong in the river. She called to the creatures of the wild for help, and a crocodile appeared. "Good morning Grandmother," she said to the crocodile.

The crocodile gave Damura her baby to care for, and returned with a silver sarong that sparkled like the night sky. She told Damura to take it and come to the river again if she ever needed anything.

Her stepsisters were naturally jealous of the sarong. But when they tried to entice the crocodile to help them, she saw through their façade. A year later, the village buzzed with excitement as the prince planned to hold a dance to choose his bride. Damura asked her stepmother if she might go, wearing her silver sarong. Of course her stepmother refused her.

The rest of this tale is very similar to that of Cinderella. But to find the unique ways in which it sparkles, you'll have to read this book. Alyssa A. Lappen

I Have never read such an interesting version of the cinderella story, i recomend that every one with children or who know those who have them buy this book and save it. It will provide pleasure to generations to come

I was given a copy of Misoso for my birthday. It was a gift from one of my best sister-friends when she found that I was to become an aunt.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this to my niece, who is now 5 years old. pssssst(I also keep a copy in my office)This book is entirely appealing. The stories will transport one to a different time and place. The pictures are simply gorgeous ...the size of the pages are perfect for reading to groups of children, the vibrant colors, the rhythmic language...If only the prints in the book were commercially available....

It has replaced Make Way for Duckling and Where the Wild Things Are as my favorite children's books. If things couldn't get any better, this book is a compilation of SEVERAL stories.

The lessons learned in this book are universal; hence, children of all ethnicities will appreciate them. This book DEMANDS to be read out loud; luckily, Ms. Aardema's flare for words can make a lyrical storyteller out of anyone.

I'm not a big fan of the song/rhyme "There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly", but I do like this quirky book. The old woman is now an old lady, and she no longer swallows flies, cats, and dogs. Instead, she swallows, trout, salmon, otters, and other animals indigenous to the Pacific Northwest. She no longer dies, either--although she does become dangerously large after swallowing the ocean. This book is a lot of fun. The change of venue does wonders for the old rhyme, and Reynold Ruffins' colorful, folk-artsy illustrations are a pleasure. Sure, it's a cross-cultural gimmick, but it works. My two-year-old and I love singing this book together.

I am a Nursery School Teacher's Aid, and I pick out the books and
read the my classes- I work with three year olds- We LOVE this book, we loved I knew an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly- but this one is equally as good.

I can't wait to read the Old lady who Swallowed a Pie!

Enjoy-

EMw

What a fun book!! My preschoolers love it. The illustrations are both colorful and beautiful and certainly depict the Pacific Northwest. It's such a great participation book, all the children love to join in and never tire of it.

"Koi and the Kola nuts" is the perfect book for young readers. It is culturally great. It is from Liberia. It gives a great moral, and that is that if you give to people, it will come back to you several times over. Great book, and I fully recommend it!

Marcia Vaughan is one of our favorite children's writers, and here she has written a pleasant folk-tale about how a slow, but crafty, sloth avoids becoming crocodile lunch. Unfortunately the illustrations are are overly busy and a bit too cute, and do not bring out the simple strengths of the story...