“The Irish Cinderlad,” written by Shirley Climo and illustrated by Loretta Krupinski, is a twist on the traditional Cinderella story. This version tells the story of Becan, a boy with large feet who is mistreated by his stepmother and stepsisters. He runs away and befriends a magical bull. With the bull’s help, Becan defeats a giant and a dragon, rescuing a princess. He leaves behind his enormous boot as a clue, and the princess searches the kingdom to find him. The obvious difference in the gender of the main character, this fairy tale attempts to explore what differences, if any, would exist if traditional Cinderella were a boy.   

The Illustrator, Loretta Krupinski, did a wonderful job capturing the essence of the story with immense detail and accuracy. The art style presented in the children’s book is not reminiscent of modern children’s books due to the incredible detail. She gracefully placed each stroke as the hair and fur of each person and creature were done with such detail. These illustrations are quite hyperbolic in nature when expressing the size of things. This was an expert choice, as the story is about a young boy with abnormally, almost inhuman, large feet. The illustrations match the descriptions given within the text. For example, Climo writes, “The creature’s face was white, but splashed with rusty red like the freckles on Becan’s nose.” When glancing at the illustration that accompanies this passage, you can see the bull’s nose spotted with what looks exactly like rust, but on a smoother and softer surface than where one would normally see it. The bull does, in fact, look as if he has large freckles.   

Reading this classic story through the lens of a young boy rather than a young girl shows great variation. In the more well-known Westernized version of Cinderella, Cinderella is a young woman who is forced to live with her stepmother and evil stepsisters, much like Becan. 

However, their stories differ quite a bit, considering the journeys they both took. The word “journey” is used lightly when referring to the common tale of Cinderella. She isn’t a main character that would be considered brave or heroic. She would likely be considered beautiful instead. She meets a prince at the ball and then heads back home, where the prince then goes searching for her. There is a large difference between this story and Becan’s story. Becan goes on this huge journey where he interacts with and defeats huge creatures in order to heroically save a princess. Both stories end quite similarly, as they both end up being pursued and courted by royalty. This is not to say that “The Irish Cinderlad” is a bad story. It is an excellent story from a separate perspective that is monumentally different due to something as simple as gender. It is interesting to read and consider the differences. Both the author and illustrator did an excellent job highlighting the way that these stories could differ if originally told from the male perspective.   

As the name suggests, “The Irish Cinderlad” is the version of this story that is based in Ireland. So, the beckoning question presented is: how well does this story represent Irish culture? In this story, Becan’s journey is heavily based upon and influenced by luck, which happens to be a prominent theme in Irish folklore and mythology. Many people consider the four-leafed clover to be lucky, and symbols of the four-leafed clover can be found within many Irish traditions and imagery. The prominence of one symbol expresses how important the concept of luck has proven to be in Irish cultures. Irish culture is also known for its wit and humor. Therefore, Climo’s retelling incorporates playful elements and humorous situations. It is also quite common for people of Irish heritage to have pale skin and red hair. Both the author and the illustrator show this by giving Becan a fair complexion and a full head of bright red hair. 

While it is not explicitly stated, the story subtly hints at the importance of community in Irish culture through the Cinderlad’s reliance on the magical bull and his eventual recognition by the princess. It is, however, important to note that “The Irish Cinderlad” is a simplified interpretation of Irish culture. It focuses on a single, fantastical story rather than providing a comprehensive or nuanced portrayal of Irish society, traditions, and values.   

It Is important to recognize, in conclusion, that Shirley Climo has written several versions of the Cinderella story, presenting an Egyptian and Korean version alongside this one. “The Irish Cinderlad” is a wonderfully told story of a young boy who lived similarly to many different versions of his story, but it differs wildly in an impressive and eye-opening way. Loretta Krupinski, the illustrator, also presented this story in an art form. She did a wonderful job of bringing Climo’s words to life in a beautifully unique way. This is a story that should be shared, along with all other versions of this story, so that we, in America, are aware of different cultures and traditions that come together with one story that shows the similarities between us all.