SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Manga
  • All Ages
  • Young Adult
  • Interviews
  • News

January 12, 2010 by Katherine Dacey

Review: Pigling: A Cinderella Story

January 12, 2010 by Katherine Dacey   Leave a Comment

Wicked stepmothers and virtuous, long-suffering maidens are a ubiquitous pairing in folktales from around the world, as Pigling: A Cinderella Story attests. This made-for-classroom-use comic offers grade school readers a Korean variation on the familiar story, one enlivened by the presence of talking animals (no need to rely on Disney to imagine them) and a deliciously evil stepmother-and-stepsister pair.

Pigling: A Cinderella Story
Script by Dan Jolley, Art by Anne Timmons
Age Rating: 9 – 14
2009, Graphic Universe, ISBN: 978-1-58013-825-3
48 pp, $8.95

Pigling tells the story of Pear Blossom, a young girl who is the apple — or, more accurately, the pear — of her elderly parents’ eye. Around her thirteenth birthday, Pear Blossom’s mother passes away, prompting Pear Blossom’s grief-stricken father to marry a woman with a teenage daughter of her own. The two women conspire to make Pear Blossom’s life difficult, inventing wearisome tasks, insulting her, and giving her a cruel nickname: Pigling. Though many of Pear Blossom’s tasks seem impossible — filling a leaky water jug, hulling a large pile of rice — magical animals come to her aid, allowing her to escape her stepmother’s punishments.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Angry that Pear Blossom has successfully met these impossible challenges, the stepmother cooks up an even more fiendish scheme, promising Pear Blossom that she may attend the village festival on one condition: that Pear Blossom weed the family’s neglected rice paddies, a chore that, under normal circumstances, would take several days. Once again, an animal comes to her aid, freeing Pear Blossom to leave the farm. She encounters a handsome magistrate on the road to the festival, but thinking herself unworthy of his attention, flees the scene, leaving behind one of her sandals. You can probably guess the rest: the nobleman seeks out the sandal’s owner, rebuffing the stepmother’s efforts to persuade him that her daughter should be his bride, and marrying the lovely Pear Blossom.

Though Dan Jolley’s script relies a little too heavily on narration, the decision to tell rather than show serves a didactic purpose, allowing young readers to grasp what’s happening while learning small but telling details about Korean culture. Anne Timmons’ artwork is colorful and appealing, using the visual conventions of American comics to tell this Korean story in a naturalistic, engaging fashion.

Like the other titles in the Graphic Myths and Legends series, Pigling has been crafted with meticulous attention to detail. Jolley and Timmons consulted an expert at the University of California to ensure that the story’s setting was historically accurate, giving special attention to costumes, hairstyles, naming conventions, proper titles, customs, and architecture. The script is supplemented with a glossary of terms (Korean and English) as well as a suggested reading list for teachers interested in developing a lesson plan in comparative folklore; the only thing missing is a set of discussion questions to frame students’ exploration of the story. Still, that’s a minor quibble for a nicely designed book that should appeal to readers in grades four through six. (N.B. The publisher’s suggested age range is 9-14, but the script skews too young to hold the attention of teens reading at or above grade level.)

This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by Graphic Universe. All images copyright of Lerner Publishing Group.

Filed under: Reviews, Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Katherine Dacey

Katherine Dacey has been reviewing comics since 2006. From 2007 to 2008, she was the Senior Manga Editor at PopCultureShock, a site covering all aspects of the entertainment industry from comics to video games. In 2009, she launched The Manga Critic, where she focuses primarily on Japanese comics and novels in translation. Katherine lives and works in the Greater Boston area, and is a musicologist by training.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

October 2022

Review: Parachute Kids

by Katherine Dacey

July 2011

Review: Drawing From Memory

by Katherine Dacey

May 2011

Review: The Zabime Sisters

by Katherine Dacey

May 2011

First Second Reviews

by Katherine Dacey

March 2011

Review: Skullkickers, vol 1

by Katherine Dacey

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

One Star Review, Guess Who? (#181)

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Review of the Day: The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Monkey Prince Vol. 1: Enter the Monkey | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Readers’ Poll Results

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

The Value of Innocence for BIPOC Students, a guest post by David Mura

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

15 Returning Faces for Graphic Novels Shelves | Series Update

Best Graphic Novels 2021 | SLJ Best Books

Eight Essential Isekai Manga for Beginners | Mondo Manga

Graphic Novels for Cat Lovers

10 Standout Graphic Novels by AAPI Creators

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023