A clever fractured fairytale tells the Cinderella story from the point of view of the rat-turned-coachman. The focus here is truly on the rat--Cinderella is merely a minor character. Both the plot and the humor are derived from the problems he faces as a rat in a boy's skin, especially when he runs into his sister (who is still a rat) and an incompetent wizard who has a great deal of difficulty helping them sort out their mistaken identities. (Ages 4-8)

When is a rat not a rat? When Cinderella's fairy godmother turns him into a coachman - well, more of a coachboy. And what does the coachboy think of this sudden change in his life? He's delighted to find the open bags of grain in the castle larder. But soon enough, trouble begins. His sister, unchanged by the godmother's magic spell, scurries across the larder floor and is in danger of being stomped to death by the coachboy's newfound friend. How can he save her without revealing his secret? Life is full of surprises. Pumpkins turn into coaches and mice into horses, and an overworked wizard can create stranger magic than Cinderella's fairy godmother ever dreamed of. Susan Meddaugh uses her wit and animated artwork to give us a hilarious new take on an old tale in this story of an ordinary rat caught in extraordinary circumstances.