Ella's Big Chance

Shirley Hughes sets her Cinderella retelling in the dazzling 1920s, and the period detail alone is worth picking up — every page hums with Jazz Age couture Hughes designed herself, drawing on French fashion and classic Hollywood dance films. Ella is a dressmaker, not a passive waiter for rescue, and the story's best move is having her turn down the duke's proposal to choose Buttons, the loyal delivery boy who actually showed up. It's a quiet feminist twist that reads naturally rather than like a lesson. Younger children may need a nudge to catch the fairy-tale subversion, and the stepfamily middle section can slow the pace slightly. But for a read-aloud with heart and genuinely gorgeous art, this Kate Greenaway Medal winner earns its place on the shelf.