In the Spice Islands, where clove and nutmeg trees grow, a girl named Damura lived long ago. Damura is a beautiful girl, as kind and lovely as the little green parrot that perches on the nutmeg tree. But Damura's stepmother and stepsister mistreat her. They force her to rise before dawn, carry out all the chores, and sleep on the floor. One day, while down by the river, Damura calls out to the creatures of the wild for help. Rising from the waters, an ancient crocodile answers the call. This unusual fairy godmother, aptly named Grandmother Crocodile, outfits Damura in a sarong of gold, with slippers to match, and sends her to the palace to dance for the prince. Once he sees her, the prince knows that she will be his bride. But the fairy tale isn't quite over. Damura's wicked stepmother and stepsister are so jealous that they push Damura into the river, where she is swallowed by a crocodile!  The Gift of the Crocodile, a tale from the Spice Islands in Indonesia, offers a colorful and dramatic twist on the universally adored Cinderella story. Kindergarten-Grade 4-A handsome Cinderella variant from the Spice Islands. Young Damura is advised by her dying mother to be kind to all wild creatures. Later on, in an interesting twist, the girl is bribed with a doll to plead her would-be stepmother's case to her father. After the marriage, she is mistreated by the woman and her daughter. She loses her old sarong while washing laundry in the river. Hearing her sobs, a crocodile offers to retrieve it if the girl will rock her baby, and returns with a silver dress. When the greedy sister tries the same thing but is cruel to the baby and crisp with Grandmother Crocodile, she wins a leech-covered rag. Years later, when a prince seeks a bride, the stepsister wears the silver dress but Grandmother Crocodile supplies Damura with the essentials. After the prince claims his bride with a lost slipper and the two are married, the jealous stepmother and her daughter push Damura into the river where she is eaten by a crocodile. In a funny sequence, Grandmother confronts her river children and a fat crocodile is forced to cough out Damura. Ruffins's handsome acrylic paintings reflect the Indonesian love of color and pattern. Page design varies to include bordered illustrations, vignettes, and several eloquent silhouettes. Sierra's retelling is strong and fun to read aloud. A useful author's note sorts out variations in motifs across cultures. A fine addition to the groaning shelf of Cinderella stories. Susan Hepler, Burgundy Farm Country Day School, Alexandria, VA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. Ages 4-8. Set in the Spice Islands, this Indonesian version of the Cinderella story has Damura as the beautiful, ill-treated stepchild, and, instead of a fairy godmother, a river crocodile is the magical helper. Sierra tells the story with simple drama, and Ruffins' handsome acrylic illustrations on watercolor paper set the tale on a tropical island with rich colors and folk art-style figures in a vibrant theatrical design. A full folklore note discusses the sources for the story and connects the tale with other Cinderella motifs. This time, the wicked stepmother and stepsister continue to hurt Cinderella even after she has married the prince, but Grandmother Crocodile saves Damura again so the girl and her prince live for many years in great splendor and happiness. A storytelling treat. Hazel Rochman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "Sierra's retelling is strong and fun to read aloud. A useful author's note sorts out variations across cultures" --School Library Journal (starred review) "A storytelling treat." --Booklist "The bite of Grimms' Cinderella is appealingly anthromorphized in The Gift of the Crocodile." --New York Times Book Review "Even with an abundance of available Cinderella stories, this version is memorably vivid." --Publishers' Weekly (starred review) Judy Sierra is the author of over 30 picture books for children. Her books have won top accolades including:   The American Folklore Society's Aesop Prize The E.B. White Read-Aloud Award from the Association of Booksellers for Children Four Notable Book citations from the American Library Association and multiple national and state Children's Choice Awards   Before she began publishing books for children, Ms Sierra worked as a children's librarian, a puppeteer, a storyteller, and taught university courses in folklore and children's literature. She lives in Portland, Oregon.