Santarella: A merry twist on Cinderella

Cinderella meets Christmas in this cute mashup.

One Christmas Eve, Cinderella finds herself home alone while her sisters go out to a ball. They instruct her to clean while they're gone, but Cinderella wishes for something exciting to happen. Then all of a sudden, Santa tumbles down the chimney and hurts himself. Cinderella offers to help him and joins him for an exciting adventure. When given the chance to attend the ball, will she or find something better to do?

SANTARELLA is a cute story full of good deeds and doing the unexpected. It's a complete twist ending that I don't want to spoil, but I absolutely love it. This spin on this classic story makes for a perfect Christmas read and I adore that it's Santa in place of the Fairy Godmother. The lyrical rhyming scheme keeps things upbeat and adds a fairytale feel. The illustrations are a cute cartoon style with vivid colors and simple details and I enjoyed this read as much as my daughter.


Final Verdict: I would recommend this picture book to children aged four and up who love fairytales and Christmas. This is a mashup that I didn't even realize I've been waiting for but I'm excited to see more like it. It will make a great Christmas gift and is one that keeps on giving with each time you read it.

SANTARELLA is a delightful rhyming story about helping others and seeing the world. When Cinderella is left behind by her stepsisters the night of the ball with the prince, she finds Santa struggling to carry the large bag of toys. She decides to travel along with him and help, finding that she loves seeing the world. When he brings her back to the ball just before midnight, Cinderella realizes she would rather keep exploring than be with the prince, and she sets out to travel during the year before helping Santa again at the next Christmas.

What I loved: This story is an absolute delight, and I loved the rhyming text and uplifting story. This is a new twist on Cinderella that celebrates her finding her independence - without the prince. The Christmas touch with Santa and travel was lots of fun and made it quite the seasonal read. Rhyming text and lush illustrations add to the fun of the story and bring it to life when read aloud. The lyrical phrasing rolls off the tongue smoothly and makes the story feel fast-paced. This will appeal to preschoolers and young elementary school readers who have some familiarity with Cinderella but will appreciate the new twist on her story.

The font is easy to read throughout, and the pages turn fairly quickly. Detailed and colorful illustrations bring the story to life. This will work well as a non-religious holiday read with some humor and great messaging around independence and helping others.

Final verdict: SANTARELLA is a delightful picture book that will capture young readers' imaginations with colorful images and rhyming text. Highly recommend for a new fairytale holiday twist!