Google is bringing to the forefront an author that few know, except for the token academia folklorist, but whose work is in nearly every children’s library. On this day in 1628, Charles Perrault was born. The father of fairytale and the author of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, to name a few, his own life story is worth acknowledging as well. Perrault did not start writing his tales until his late 60s. History tells us that he lost his job as a secretary in 1695 at the age of 67, and with his newly discovered free time, he began writing.
Today, we will honor Perrault’s works by watching Cinderella, directed by one of our favorites Kenneth Branagh and features Cate Blanchett, another one of our favorites. (It just so happens that we checked it out of the library the other day, not even knowing what today was!)
Happy birthday Charles!