Steptoe , J. (1987). Mufaro's beautiful
daughters: An african tale. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publisher.
Reflection: Mufaro’s Beautiful
Daughters: An African Tale is a Caldecott Honor recipient, and was published in
1987. Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An
African Tale is written and illustrated by John Steptoe. This book is about Murfaro’s two daughters
Nyasha and Manyara. Everyone in their
village, including Mufaro, thought that both daughters were extremely
beautiful. However, Mufaro did not know
that his daughter Manyara was selfish and unkind. The
king of the land decided it was time for him to take a wife. He asked “the most worthy and beautiful
daughters in the land” to come to him and he would select his bride. Mufaro could not chose which daughter to send
to the king, he decided to take both daughters and allow the king to pick
between them. Manyara wanted to be sure
that she would be seleceted so she set out into the jungle before Nyasha and
her father. The setting is an integral part of this book, because the events that
happened to Maynara and Nyasha on their journey to the king. These events in the jungle help lead the
king to select which daughter will be his bride. This book conveys a good message, or theme, that children need to learn. Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughter’s: An African
Tale teaches several important values, and focuses a lot on the important of
kindness. The illustrations in this book
reflect an impressionistic style. The placement of light in the illustrations
draws the viewer to the most important part of the scene. The illustrations have soft lines that
reflect the flowing and free shapes found in nature and the jungle.
Curriculum:
Compare
and Contrast
In
my classroom I would first begin by having my students’ compare and contrast
this book with the traditional Cinderella story. I would have them look at how characters,
setting, plot, problem, and solution were similar and different. Also, I would have them look and compare the
themes of both stories. I would have
them complete this activity with a partner and provide them with some type of
graphic organizer to guide their thinking.
Standard Connection: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.9 Compare and
contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good
and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, and
traditional literature from different cultures.
Characterization
Also, this book would be an excellent book to use
when discussing characters and how their actions contribute to the plot. Students could look at how Manyara and Naysha
both acted differently in the story, and how their actions had different
affects on the plot.
Standard Connection: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.3 Describe in
depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific
details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).
Big Question:
How is Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale similar and
different from Cinderella?
