Here are 100 books that Cinderella fans have personally recommended if you like
Cinderella.
Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.
Mid-life for women is many things, including greatly underrepresented in the stories around us. I am forever in awe of the women around me as they continue to rise to each crazy occasion that life presents, managing and coping with wisdom, humor, and strength. This is why I am recommending these books about kickass middle-aged women. I wrote a novel inspired by some of my own challenges in mid-life. It was published by Atria Books, Simon & Schuster. I hope you love the recommendations as much as I do and that you’ll be inspired to check out my book as well.
I am a fan of Nora Ephron’s films (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Julie/Julia…, etc.), but I hadn’t read any of her books. I started with this one—a slim one, as I remembered the movie from years ago.
Our protagonist, Rachael Samstat, seems to have an enviable life: a successful career as a cookbook writer, happily married to a dynamic man, a baby with another on the way, and a calendar of social events with equally lucky people. However, her husband’s betrayal while she is pregnant sends her spinning and onto a painful, witty, sometimes petty, and ultimately empowering journey.
I listened to the book, and Meryl Streep’s narration is relatable. It made me laugh out loud numerous times.
If I had to do it over again, I would have made a different kind of pie. The pie I threw at Mark made a terrific mess, but a blueberry pie would have been even better, since it would have permanently ruined his new blazer, the one he bought with Thelma ... I picked up the pie, thanked God for linoleum floor, and threw it' Rachel Samstat is smart, successful, married to a high-flying Washington journalist... and devastated. She has discovered that her husband is having an affair with Thelma Rice, 'a fairly tall person with a neck as long…
My parents split up when I was six. I escaped from my sadness by reading stories about love and relationships and exploring how others went about the business of living and coping. I married young for security and to have a big family of my own. I succeeded. I have four amazing kids, but after years of wedded chaos, I too was divorced. As a single mom, I set out in search of my own identity and went back to novels to help me find myself. Though I’ve since been fortunate to find my happily ever after, I still enjoy characters that feel like friends who offer warmth, hope, and comfort.
As a white Jewish woman, I know I’m not the authority on the systemic issues inherent in romantic relationships in Black culture, but the good news is, this novel doesn’t require me to be. Bernadine, Savannah, Gloria, and Robin, four Black, thirty-something women navigating their way through love in the nineties, is a story that transcends race.
As I read about their hopes and dreams, their disappointments and pain, I recognized myself. Through McMillan’s clear voice, I was able to step into each character’s shoes and feel my way through their experiences. I also learned that a cheating guy’s car is an easy target- memorable!
The story of four vibrant black women in their thirties. They draw on each other for support as they struggle with careers, divorce, motherhood and their relationships with men.
I’m drawn to stories about human nature and the many lifestyles people choose to live. My mother often tells me I’m like my great aunt Freda, who has a love for beautiful and fantastic things. Freda was famous in my mind, and I believe I was further drawn to reading about fame because I wanted to know what that world looked like. Is too much money stressful? Are social events unwanted obligations? Are famous marriages bound to fail? This list is a glimpse into the lifestyles of the rich and famous and both the curses and blessings of their daily lives.
This is a story that many of us have experienced. The reality of it pulled me in. When I was in middle school, a boy I had “dated” made copies of a very personal letter I had written him. He and his buddy then handed the letter out to everyone. Classmates mockingly read the letter out loud to me. How mortifying. I feel you, Cannie Shapiro.
I also love this story because Cannie hits it off with a starlet who turns into a close friend. Who doesn’t want a famous bff? As Cannie pushed to find her way through the heartache and betrayal, I felt for her and wanted her to heal so she could find love and happiness again.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner brings to life an irresistibly funny and relatable heroine in the novel The Boston Globe called “funny, fanciful, extremely poignant, and rich with insight.”
For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her father has long since dropped out of her world. But she loves her friends, her rat terrier, Nifkin, and her job as pop culture reporter for The Philadelphia Examiner. She’s even made a tenuous peace with her plus-size body.
Eleven-year-old Mira wishes everything could go back to the way it was. Before she changed schools and had to quit gymnastics. Especially before Papa died. Now she spends her days cooking and cleaning for her stepsisters and Val—who she still won’t call mom and still won’t forgive for the terrible…
My parents split up when I was six. I escaped from my sadness by reading stories about love and relationships and exploring how others went about the business of living and coping. I married young for security and to have a big family of my own. I succeeded. I have four amazing kids, but after years of wedded chaos, I too was divorced. As a single mom, I set out in search of my own identity and went back to novels to help me find myself. Though I’ve since been fortunate to find my happily ever after, I still enjoy characters that feel like friends who offer warmth, hope, and comfort.
Annie, Brenda, and Elise have been wronged. Not only have their husbands taken them for granted, but they have gone so far as to deceive, betray, and hurt them. Now these friends, sisters in humiliation, want justice.
I understand. I felt similarly when I was soldiering through my divorce. What reasonable thing could I do to get back at him without hurting anyone else, especially my kids. I never found a specific answer, but therapy and this book helped.
I enjoyed the way the girls were there for one another and wished I had friends in my boat who would get me like that and support me like that. Betrayal is rough, especially when you’ve given love with your whole heart. This book is a cathartic ride through the weeds.
Before Sex and the City...before The Starter Wife...there was The First Wives Club The sharp-witted and sexy New York Times bestseller!
Elise, Brenda, and Annie have one thing in common: they were all first wives. Make that two things in common -- they were the secret to success for each of their spouses, faithfully supporting them as they rose to the top. Okay, three things: they were each abandoned for younger, blonder, sleeker women, "trophy wives" for their exes to sport about town.
It may not be on the menu at New York's finer restaurants, but revenge is a dish…
As a children’s book author, a parent and a teacher for small children, one of the greatest things about children’s media is the friendships that develop among some of the most unusual characters. Like a sea sponge and a starfish in SpongeBob Squarepants, a mouse, and a dog with Mickey Mouse and Pluto. This of course extends into children’s books and it’s an extension of how young children don’t concern themselves with how different the other person is, they focus on what is the same. Something people should hold onto as they grow but often don’t.
A charming book about a stick and stone who become friends. Told with very simple language we follow the story of Stone from when he was alone to being teased by Pinecone and having Stick stand up for him (because that’s what sticks do!). They play and go on adventures to the shore when a big hurricane sweeps them away, and Stone must save his best friend, Stick!
The illustrations are wonderfully crafted in colored pencil and watercolor. This is a beautifully done book that works extremely well in storytimes with small children. My class loves this one.
When Stick rescues Stone from a prickly situation with a Pine cone, the pair become fast friends. But when Stick gets stuck, can Stone return the favour? The author Beth Ferry writes warm, rhyming text that includes a subtle anti-bullying message even the youngest reader will understand. The New York Times best-selling illustratorTom Lichtenheld imbues Stick and Stone with energy, emotion, and personality to spare. In this fun board book about kindness and friendship, Stick and Stone join George and Martha, Frog and Toad, and Elephant and Piggie as some of the greatest friend duos in children's literature.
As a part of Teatro SEA, promoting and strengthening the cultural identity of young latiné audiences is the main focus of our mission and everyone who works there. We have been around since 1985 as SEA (Society of the Educational Arts, Inc.) and are the premiere Bilingual Arts-in-Education Organization and Latino Children’s Theatre in the United States. We create and produce a combination of educational theater, in-school multidisciplinary arts instruction programs, art & cultural festivals/ events, online educational programming, and Theater Books, all intended to raise self-esteem, strengthen cultural identity, and provide educational advancement for our community of latiné children and youth.
I know I’m not the only one who fell in love with Selena the first time I heard her music.
The story of a young girl chasing her dreams despite the obstacles is universal and warms my heart. That’s what this book is: heartwarming. It’s often hard to talk about the end of Selena’s life, especially with children, but López focuses on the joy and accomplishments in Selena’s life, with just a brief mention of her untimely death.
López is inspiring musicians, fashion designers, performers, and so many more by showing them that it doesn’t matter where you come from-just as long as you put in the work.
From a very early age, young Selena knew how to connect with people and bring them together with music. Sing with Me follows Selena's rise to stardom, from front-lining her family's band at rodeos and quinceaneras to performing in front of tens of thousands at the Houston Astrodome. Young readers will be empowered by Selena's dedication - learning Spanish as a teenager, designing her own clothes, and traveling around the country with her family - sharing her pride in her Mexican-American roots and her love of music and fashion with the world.
Funny Folk Tales for Children
by
Allison Galbraith,
These are the funniest folktales in the world. You will be amazed at the intelligent animals and LOL at the ridiculous scrapes the humans get themselves into in these short stories. Discover why dogs are our best friends, learn how to change a cow into a zombie, and meet a…
I am Virginia Mendez, mother of 2 and author of 2 children’s books and a parenting book about the topic of gender equality from childhood. My day job is in Diversity and Inclusion Consulting, and I train companies and schools on how to bring more gender equality into their organisations. I wasn’t always a feminist, but I was by the time I was pregnant with my first child, and it made me determined to make the world a more fair place for everyone. Everyone.
This is an absolute favourite of mine as a gift for new baby boys.
It is in rhyme and has very easy illustrations. It is never too early to let people know that feminism is for everyone, including boys, and to show in an easy way the things that they can do to help but also expand the options for them.
Feminism begins at home—and My First Book of Feminism (for Boys) is where it begins!
Simple illustrations paired with engaging, rhyming text make the compelling, age appropriate argument that girls and boys are equal, plain and simple. Humorous, familiar scenarios are treated as teachable moments for very young boys (ages 0-3) who will ideally grow up without ever questioning women's equality. From "no means no," to "women's rights are human rights," important, grownup ideas are made clear and fun for young, impressionable minds. This is the book every mom should read to her son!
I grew up on a farm in a musical, artistic family. Poetry, music, animals, and laughter were the fabric of daily life. I happened to be gifted with the ability to draw. With a particular passion for horses, I eventually earned my art degree and created the cartoon character Fergus the Horse. I truly believe that when extraordinarily skilled illustrations are combined with extraordinarily skilled writing to create a published work, then the projected age recommendation for readers becomes irrelevant.
I love this book because I love books whose illustrations are as enticing as the text.
“Silly” is a quality I look for in a book to share with little kids. Silly certainly applies to Gammell’s splashy, exquisite illustrations. The cadence of the text invites the reader (of any age) to engage with the rhyme and not just read it but perform it!
It also teaches the alphabet. Who knew that going through the alphabet could be such messy fun?
Nothing drives a family crazy faster than an old black fly on a hot summer day, especially when the family's a little crazy already. And this fly is as bad as they come. He knows every low-down trick in the book--and won't rest until he's gone through them all.
He ate on the crust of the Apple pie. He bothered the Baby and made her cry. Shoo fly! Shoo fly! Shooo.
I have always loved animals and felt a deep empathy for every living creature. But it wasn’t until the COVID lockdown that I truly connected with them. Locked up with a partner, a boy, two dogs, and three cats in a small house with a yard, I realized that it's not just us taking care of them—they're doing their best to take care of us, too. Trained in art since childhood by my mom, it was during the COVID lockdown that I began to draw our furry companions in earnest. I spent every waking hour capturing their funny and endearing moments, ultimately putting it all together in a picture book.
This is a classic. The enchanting illustrations and delightful humor mesmerized my 3-year-old, who kept asking to read it over and over throughout his childhood and insisted on buying the rest of the books in the series.
The interactive lift-the-flap elements really capture young readers' attention, and the character, Spot, is simply irresistible.
In Eric Hill's classic Where's Spot? lift the flaps to find Spot!
In Spot's first adventure children can join in the search for the mischievous puppy by lifting the flaps on every page to see where he is hiding. The simple text and colourful pictures will engage a whole new generation of pre-readers as they lift the picture flaps in search of Spot. A No.1 bestseller since it was first published in 1980, this interactive favourite has stayed in the charts ever since.
This is a bigger, brighter paperback edition of Eric Hill's iconic first lift-the-flap book.
Early in my career, I attended a writer’s conference in southern Louisiana. During a discussion of the best-selling Louisiana-based novels of Vermont-born author Francis Parkinson Keyes, a local historian said with great ire, “That woman came down here and picked our brains for her books!” As a follower of my state’s incredible past, I immediately saw the attraction. Since then, I’ve written more than 65 historical and contemporary novels, most set in New Orleans and broader Louisiana. Hours have been spent at the famed Historic New Orleans Collection, talking to people and walking the streets of the French Quarter—and, of course, collecting a library of famous Louisiana histories.
I love old photographs. Nothing else is as exact or reliable when it comes to studying a time and place for research purposes. Whether it’s the long-ago appearance of a particular street or building, the design of a wrought iron balcony, the style of an antique ballgown, or the setting of a mausoleum, the details are all there.
Huber’s book contains over a thousand entries. Not only are photographs shown, but also photographed copies of drawings, paintings, and portraits that predate the invention of the camera. They depict famous landmarks but a vast selection of people as well, from servants and street vendors to the highest society. Each picture is carefully described and, where possible, dated.
I’ve spent many happy hours paging through them, often forgetting what I intended to find.
A captivating visual guide to New Orleans's history!
Hailed as being one of the most comprehensive collections of photos, paintings, and drawings on its release in 1971, this educational and entertaining selection is now in paperback! From the city's French and Spanish beginnings to American forces fighting off British soldiers in the War of 1812, this is truly a fascinating compilation. These pages chronicle major historical moments along with the architecture, jazz, scandals, duels, cuisine, and fine arts that make New Orleans an amazing city to behold.
