In his Fairy Library, published between 1853 and 1864, George Cruikshank illustrated and rewrote “Le Petit Poucet,” “Cendrillon,” and “Le chat botté.” Although his witty engravings remain faithful to the texts, his rewriting considerably alters them. A reformed alcoholic, he preaches temperance in “Hop O’ My Thumb” and recasts the tender Cinderella as pitiless prohibitionist. He transforms all three tales to suit his moral fancies. The woodcutter becomes an alcoholic and gambling count who loses everything because of his vices, and Puss in Boots restores the wealth of the aristocratic miller, the legitimate owner of the ogre’s vast estates.
Hubert, Judd D.. "George Cruikshank’s Graphic and Textual Reactions to Mother Goose." Marvels & Tales 25.2 (2011). Web. <http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/marvels/vol25/iss2/7>.