Hide Notes 

Slide 1: THE KOREAN CINDERELLA by Shirley Climo Illustrated by Ruth Heller
Slide 2: In the land of Korea, where magical creatures were as common as cabbages, lived a c hild named Pear Blossom. Pear Blossom was as lovely as the pear tree planted in celebration of her birth.
Slide 3: One winter morning, when the branches on the pear tree were still bare sticks, Pear Blossom's mother died. "Aigo!" wailed the old man. "Who will tend to Pear
Slide 4: He put on his tall horsehair hat and went to the village matchmaker. She knew of a widow with a daughter the same age as Pear Blossom. "Peony will make a good sister to Pear Blossom," the matchma ker promised.
Slide 5: When Omoni and Peony sa w how bea utiful Pea r Blossom w as, they were jealous of her. Omoni ma de her work a ll day and all night and consta ntl y found fault with her.
Slide 6: One day, the village was having a festival. "Pear Blossom may go," said Omoni in a voice as sweet as barley sugar, "after she weeds the rice paddies.“ .
Slide 7: She handed Pear Blossom a basket of wilted turnip tops for her lunch.
Slide 8: "I am most grateful, Honourable Mother," said Pear Blossom. When she reached the fields, Pear Blossom dropped the basket in dismay. Rice rippled before her like a great green lake. Weeding it would take weeks. "Who could do such a task?" she cried.
Slide 9: "DO-O-O-O" bellowed a black ox as it emerged from the long grass.
Slide 10: The ox began to munch the weeds, moving through the rows of rice faster than the wind itself. Before Pear Blossom could say "Ohhh", both the ox and the weeds were gone. The whole rice field was free of weeds and yet not a single blade of rice was trampled upon!
Slide 11: Pear Blossom cupped her hands over her mouth and called, "A thousand thanks!" as the ox galloped away into the horizon.
Slide 12: Pear Blossom hastened to the village festival. The road, which followed a crooked stream, was rough with pebbles. Pear Blossom had just slipped off one straw sandal to shake out a stone when she heard a shout. "Make way! Make way for the magistrate!"
Slide 13: Four bearers, a palanquin swaying on poles across their shoulders, jogged toward her. In the chair sat a young nobleman dressed in rich robes and wearing a jade jewel in his topknot
Slide 14: Flustered, Pear Blossom teetered on a leg like a crane, holding her old shoe. Her cheeks grew hot as red peppers, and she hopped behind a willow tree that grew beside the stream. As she did, her shoe fell into the water and bobbed like a small boat, just out of reach.
Slide 15: "Stop!" c ommanded the ma gistra te from his pal anquin. He wa s c all ing to his bea rers, but Pear Bl ossom thought he was shouting at her. Frightened, she fl ed down the road.
Slide 16: The magistrate gazed after Pear Blossom, struck by her beauty. Then he ordered his men to fish her shoe from the stream and to carry him back to the village.
Slide 17: At the festival Pear Blossom forgot her missing shoe. She watched the acrobats and tightrope walkers until she was dizzy. She swayed to the flutes and drums
Slide 18: Suddenly, she heard someone shouting at her. "What are you doing here?" screamed her
Slide 19: "I am here because a black ox ate all the weeds in the rice paddies," said Pear Blossom.
Slide 20: "Black ox indeed! You are a liar..." before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by the magistrate's men.
Slide 21: "Hear this," they shouted as they elbowed the palanquin through the crowd, "we seek the girl with one shoe!"
Slide 22: "It's Pear Blossom!" Peony pointed at her sister, "She's lost her shoe." The bearers put the chair down beside Pear Blossom, and the nobleman held up the shoe.
Slide 23: "The magistrate has come to arrest you," screeched the stepmother, "you must have committed a crime and serves you right!"
Slide 24: "She must deserve me as her husband," the magistrate said in a kind voice, "for this lucky shoe has led me to her."
Slide 25: He turned to Pear Blossom and said, "I've luck enough if she who wears this one becomes
Slide 26: Pear Blossom smiled, too shy to speak, and slipped her shoe on her foot.
Slide 27: The magistrate whisked Pear Blossom onto his palanquin and the bearers carried them away into the crowd.
Slide 28: Omoni and Peony stared, speechless after the couple, still wondering if it was a nightmare!
Slide 29: Back home, a dozen pear trees bloomed. "Ewha! Ewha!" chirruped the sparrows in the branches. In Korea, "Ewha" means "Pear Blossom."
Slide 30: And they both lived happily ever after. (and were even kind to their stepmother and sisters)
Slide 32: THINK ABOUT IT…..  WHAT IS THE MORAL OF THIS STORY?  WHY WAS THE STEP MOTHER SO UNKIND?  WHY IS CINDERELLA ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL?  DO YOU KNOW ANY SIMILAR STORIES?