Rating: 
Summary: Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
Review: This book is about these two sisters Manyara and Nyasha father of Mufaro. Manyara is the rude sister. Nyasha is the warm loving sister. One of them would be getting married to a king and the other will be their servant. Manyara well she wanted to get a jump start on things so when she was going to find the king she seen a boy (that was in need for food) that she refused to give food to, then she came apon a old lady she didn't listen to, she also met up with some trees that laughed at her and she laughed back at, and last she came upon a guy with his head in his arm.
So if you really think people that are rude won't get far and their rudeness will just catch up with them later as they go threw life. This book has inspired me to be a better person in many ways. This book is an amazing book it not only expresses the persons outside feelings but it expresses the persons inside feelings.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best children's books available today
Review: Beautifully told and magnificently illustrated, this is a must-have for anyone appreciative of great storytelling and a belief in multiculturalism. The story, though similar to European folktales, is unique in its fresh approach to familiar themes: deception, sibling rivalry, and the "dream prince" rescuing the abused damsel. The artwork is realistic with much detail given to the beauty of the daughters, as well as the strengths and physical characteristics other main characters.I presented this one to my middle-schoolers and they loved it. All children will do the same.
Rating:
Summary: Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
Review: I am a West Virginia State College student,taking a required class in Children's Literature. For my class assignment I had to read a Caldecott Honor Book and I selected Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. I loved this book, it reminded me of the classic Cinderella story only better. This story has beautiful pictures and it shows how people should treat others no matter how they look or act. This book woud be good to use in a classroom to teach such values and to increase students interest in African culture. I hope everyone reads this book.
Rating:
Summary: Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
Review: I am a West Virginia State College student,taking a required class in Children's Literature. For my class assignment I had to read a Caldecott Honor Book and I selected Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. I loved this book, it reminded me of the classic Cinderella story only better. This story has beautiful pictures and it shows how people should treat others no matter how they look or act. This book woud be good to use in a classroom to teach such values and to increase students interest in African culture. I hope everyone reads this book.
Rating:
Summary: Remained a Classic
Review: I have loved this book since I was 8 years old. The story is wonderful and the pictures are so incredible. This is a book that touched me deeply as a child and still does to this day. It really inspired an interest in the mother country, Africa, that I carry to this day.
Rating:
Summary: In the eye of the beholder
Review: I love how folktales around the world contain so many elements similar to one another. In John Steptoe's elegant, "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters", careful readers pick up echoes of such myths as Psyche & Cupid, Cinderella, and Roses & Pearls. Yet the story is inspired by an original folktale from 1895. Dedicating this book to the children of South Africa, Steptoe has created one of the most beautiful and eloquent picture books of our time. Once there was a man with two beautiful daughters. Both were equal in loveliness, but different in temperament. While Nyasha was kind and good, Manyara was vain and cruel. When the king announces that he would like to meet these two girls and decide, between the two of them, which one he shall wed, the sly Manyara does her darndest to become queen and make her sister her servant. The tale is vaguely disturbing in all the right ways. When Manyara sets out to get a jump on the king's affections by reaching the palace first, she comes across a series of odd sequences. A boy (with ears Spock himself would envy) is denied food, laughing trees are laughed back at, and a man with his head under his arm is ignored callously. The moral of the story is, of course, that to be good and kind is far better than to be cold and mean. Steptoe's illustrations lift this tale from being merely good to extraordinary. There is a realism to the characters that leaves the reader with little doubt that they were fashioned on real people. Steptoe has likewise stayed faithful to the land of Zimbabwe, where this tale is set. He has been inspired by everything from the architecture to the flora and fauna. But what I liked best was the clothing. The garments and jewelry of this story encase the characters, making each person practically a member of royalty. Take especial care to note the wedding clothes at the end of the story, as well as the view of the village. The story is gorgeous in both what it says and how it says it. One of the best books for children ever written. Ever.
Rating:
Summary: In the eye of the beholder
Review: I love how folktales around the world contain so many elements similar to one another. In John Steptoe's elegant, "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters", careful readers pick up echoes of such myths as Psyche & Cupid, Cinderella, and Roses & Pearls. Yet the story is inspired by an original folktale from 1895. Dedicating this book to the children of South Africa, Steptoe has created one of the most beautiful and eloquent picture books of our time. Once there was a man with two beautiful daughters. Both were equal in loveliness, but different in temperament. While Nyasha was kind and good, Manyara was vain and cruel. When the king announces that he would like to meet these two girls and decide, between the two of them, which one he shall wed, the sly Manyara does her darndest to become queen and make her sister her servant. The tale is vaguely disturbing in all the right ways. When Manyara sets out to get a jump on the king's affections by reaching the palace first, she comes across a series of odd sequences. A boy (with ears Spock himself would envy) is denied food, laughing trees are laughed back at, and a man with his head under his arm is ignored callously. The moral of the story is, of course, that to be good and kind is far better than to be cold and mean. Steptoe's illustrations lift this tale from being merely good to extraordinary. There is a realism to the characters that leaves the reader with little doubt that they were fashioned on real people. Steptoe has likewise stayed faithful to the land of Zimbabwe, where this tale is set. He has been inspired by everything from the architecture to the flora and fauna. But what I liked best was the clothing. The garments and jewelry of this story encase the characters, making each person practically a member of royalty. Take especial care to note the wedding clothes at the end of the story, as well as the view of the village. The story is gorgeous in both what it says and how it says it. One of the best books for children ever written. Ever.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for everyone all ages
Review: I LOVE THIS BOOK! Not only does it have beautiful pictures, but it's a great story! An African folktale version of Cinderella. I enjoy reading the book to my classes each year. It's GREAT for teaching the reading skill compare/contrast. Easy to use with a Venn Diagram. The children pick up pretty quickly that it's a "Cinderella" story so they feel a sense of success right away. I recommend it highly!
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful,ancient story where good triumphs over evil.
Review: Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters is a beautifully illustrated story where good triumphs over evil. Both sisters must pass several tests as in the story Arrow to the sun, in order to be considered the most beautiful AND the most worthy daughter for the prince to marry. Teachers: you can use this book to continue with an author study of John Steptoe who has written nothing but wonderful children's books. Another wonderful book by John Steptoe with the moral of selflessness is in the-Story of Jumping Mouse. Parents: If you're lucky you can catch the episode of Reading Rainbow where the story is read by my favorite actress Phylicia Rashad. A wonderful, wonderful story.
Rating:
Summary: An African Cinderella story deeper than the European version
Review: This book is usually described as an African variation on Cinderella and it has a similar story - when a king invites the women of his kingdom to come to his palace so that he can choose the most worthy to be his wife, two sisters appear before him and he chooses the kinder of the two. But this version of Cinderella is infinitely superior to the tale most Americans grow up on. The European Cinderella is a beloved story, but it contains a lot of odd messages. Cinderella is both good and beautiful, her stepsisters are ugly inside and out. Is the implication that only attractive people can be good? Cinderella's "goodness" doesn't seem to consist of anything but being a doormat. And when the prince falls in love with her, he doesn't seem to know anything about her except that she is beautiful. In John Steptoe's version, inspired by an African folktale, the two sisters are both beautiful, but the beauty of one, Manyara, is only external. Her sister, Nyasha, the "Cinderella" character is beautiful inside and out. And her goodness doesn't consist just of doing what she's told to do. She's kind to all creatures, even Manyara. Furthermore, the king chooses her to be his queen not because of her beauty, but because he has secretly seen her her kindness and generosity (and her sister's meaness) in action. He chooses a good soul, not just a beautiful face. This version has all the elements that make Cinderella a classic, but ethically it's far, far better. And as if that weren't enough, the illustrations in this book are sheer magic. More than any book we've read, this one has inspired in my daughter a fascination with Africa. The details of Steptoe's paintings, drawn from the plants, animals and architecture of Zimbabwe, are glorious. Everytime we read the book, my daughter and I talk about new things we notice about the pictures. I can't think of a single children's book I like better than this one.
|
