1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
San Souci, Robert. 2000. LITTLE GOLD STAR. Ill. by Sergio Martinez. New York, NY: Harper Collins. ISBN 0688147801
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The Spanish American retelling of the traditional Cinderella tale. In this version, the Virgin Mary replaces the traditional fairy godmother and the gold star replaces the glass slipper.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
San Souci writes the tale of Cinderella with a Southwestern flair. The book’s heroine, Teresa, has the traditional mean stepmother and stepsisters and is asked to do chores for the family. When Teresa meets and helps a stranger woman in blue, many of her problems are over. The woman turns out to be Blessed Mary and Teresa is rewarded for her generosity with a gold star on her forehead. The magical star helps Teresa against her mean stepfamily.
Students will enjoy making predictions about the Blessed Mary character after seeing Martinez’s initial illustration on page five. The curses that fall on the stepsisters will also be enjoyed by young students. The pictures of the stepsisters twisting their horns and hiding their donkey ears are whimsical and encourage the reader to cheer for Teresa.
Traditional magical elements are included in this version. Animals perform heroic deeds to help Teresa in her time of need. In addition, the gold star on Teresa’s forehead also performs magic. Finally, the family cat helps Don Miguel identify Teresa by talking to him.
The story also includes the traditional use of the number three. In addition to there being three stepfamily members, Teresa is also made to do three chores.
Some Hispanic cultural elements are included in the story. For example, the stepsisters wear traditional mantillas to cover their heads and the traditional ball is a fiesta for the town’s patron saint. Some lines of dialogue are also said in Spanish.
Like many traditional tales, the ending comes quickly. “Realizing that Teresa had been blessed, the woman sent Miguel a letter agreeing to the marriage,” sums up all the problems between Teresa and her stepmother. Adults might sense the abruptness in this transition but children will always cheer for Teresa.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
BOOKLIST: “In Sergio Martinez's elegant Hispanic settings, Teresa and her beau, Don Miguel, are slender, graceful figures, comically juxtaposed against Teresa's lumpish, elaborately dressed stepmother and stepsisters, who are portrayed with exaggerated expressions of dismay or annoyance. Mary reappears to help Teresa secure her stepmother's permission to marry, and by the unalloyed happy ending, horns and hairy ears have vanished, too. Cinderella fans have to be rapid readers to keep up with the steady stream of new renditions, but this consolidation of old and new published versions mixes laughter and romance in pleasing proportion--and features an unusual (to say the least) fairy godmother.”
LIBRARY SCHOOL JOURNAL: “San Souci's telling is smooth and fluid. Martinez's lovely, luminous watercolor illustrations are a perfect match for the text. His accomplished sense of extended line gives all of his figures a romantic, elongated look, and his command of expression is exceptional. A noteworthy addition to an already impressive crop of Southwestern "Cinderella" stories.”
5. CONNECTIONS
· Share other versions of Cinderella and find similarities and differences.
· Share other picture books by San Souci, like CINDRILLON and CINDERELLA SKELETON and give opinions.
· With younger students, discuss vocabulary. For example, haughty, vain, and penance are great words to discuss.
· Students can write their own version of Cinderella and design its setting using their own cultural influences.
San Souci, Robert. 2000. LITTLE GOLD STAR. Ill. by Sergio Martinez. New York, NY: Harper Collins. ISBN 0688147801
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The Spanish American retelling of the traditional Cinderella tale. In this version, the Virgin Mary replaces the traditional fairy godmother and the gold star replaces the glass slipper.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
San Souci writes the tale of Cinderella with a Southwestern flair. The book’s heroine, Teresa, has the traditional mean stepmother and stepsisters and is asked to do chores for the family. When Teresa meets and helps a stranger woman in blue, many of her problems are over. The woman turns out to be Blessed Mary and Teresa is rewarded for her generosity with a gold star on her forehead. The magical star helps Teresa against her mean stepfamily.
Students will enjoy making predictions about the Blessed Mary character after seeing Martinez’s initial illustration on page five. The curses that fall on the stepsisters will also be enjoyed by young students. The pictures of the stepsisters twisting their horns and hiding their donkey ears are whimsical and encourage the reader to cheer for Teresa.
Traditional magical elements are included in this version. Animals perform heroic deeds to help Teresa in her time of need. In addition, the gold star on Teresa’s forehead also performs magic. Finally, the family cat helps Don Miguel identify Teresa by talking to him.
The story also includes the traditional use of the number three. In addition to there being three stepfamily members, Teresa is also made to do three chores.
Some Hispanic cultural elements are included in the story. For example, the stepsisters wear traditional mantillas to cover their heads and the traditional ball is a fiesta for the town’s patron saint. Some lines of dialogue are also said in Spanish.
Like many traditional tales, the ending comes quickly. “Realizing that Teresa had been blessed, the woman sent Miguel a letter agreeing to the marriage,” sums up all the problems between Teresa and her stepmother. Adults might sense the abruptness in this transition but children will always cheer for Teresa.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
BOOKLIST: “In Sergio Martinez's elegant Hispanic settings, Teresa and her beau, Don Miguel, are slender, graceful figures, comically juxtaposed against Teresa's lumpish, elaborately dressed stepmother and stepsisters, who are portrayed with exaggerated expressions of dismay or annoyance. Mary reappears to help Teresa secure her stepmother's permission to marry, and by the unalloyed happy ending, horns and hairy ears have vanished, too. Cinderella fans have to be rapid readers to keep up with the steady stream of new renditions, but this consolidation of old and new published versions mixes laughter and romance in pleasing proportion--and features an unusual (to say the least) fairy godmother.”
LIBRARY SCHOOL JOURNAL: “San Souci's telling is smooth and fluid. Martinez's lovely, luminous watercolor illustrations are a perfect match for the text. His accomplished sense of extended line gives all of his figures a romantic, elongated look, and his command of expression is exceptional. A noteworthy addition to an already impressive crop of Southwestern "Cinderella" stories.”
5. CONNECTIONS
· Share other versions of Cinderella and find similarities and differences.
· Share other picture books by San Souci, like CINDRILLON and CINDERELLA SKELETON and give opinions.
· With younger students, discuss vocabulary. For example, haughty, vain, and penance are great words to discuss.
· Students can write their own version of Cinderella and design its setting using their own cultural influences.
No comments:
Post a Comment