Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters is a children's picture book published in 1987 by John Steptoe. The book won many awards for Steptoe's illustrations, and went on to be adapted into many different children's literature curricula. In the late 1980s, Weston Woods made a version of the book, narrated by Terry Alexander.
Mufaro is a villager who lives with his two daughters, Nyasha and Manyara. The two sisters are opposites in many ways, as Nyasha is seen favorably by the villagers for her kindness while Manyara is bad tempered and bullies her sister whenever their father's back is turned. When they learn of the Great King's request for his citizens to send him any women they see as worthy of becoming his wife, their father chooses to send both of his daughters. Manyara goes first and along the way meets a hungry child, but refuses to offer him any food. She also comes across an old woman offering advice on how to progress past the laughing trees, but does not listen to them and hurries to the royal city. Conversely, when Nyasha leaves on her trek she chooses to feed the young boy and listens to the old woman. When she and her father arrive in the city they are met by her frightened sister. Manyara begs them not to go into the king's chambers, as there is a giant monster in there that recited her bad deeds and threatened to devour her, and Manyara is frightened that it will harm her sister. However, when Nyasha enters the chambers she is met by a harmless garden snake she had met while gardening earlier. He reveals himself as the king and states that he had shapeshifted during the journey in order to test the sisters' personalities and kindness. He chooses to marry Nyasha due to her kindness and beauty, making her the queen, while Manyara becomes Nyasha's servant.
Inspirationedit
Steptoe derived his inspiration from the folktale, Kaffir Folk-lore, published by author G.M. Theal in 1895. Steptoe's illustrations reflect his time in studying an ancient city in Zimbabwe; the images of flowers and trees are exact replicas of the ones that lived during the reign of this unknown ancient city.[1]
Charactersedit
Mufaro (moo-FAR-oh): means “happy man” in Shona[1] (native language of Steptoe); the father of Nyasha and Manyara; has some power in the village, but it is unclear the extent of it. He is a happy, good-natured man who loves his daughters.
Nyasha (née-AH-sha): means “mercy” in Shona;[1] one of Mufaro's daughters; becomes queen at the end of the story. She is kind, caring and generous to everyone.
Manyara (mahn-YAR-ah): means “ashamed” in Shona;[1] one of Mufaro's daughters; becomes servant at the end of the story; is arrogant, selfish and consistently mean to her sister, animals, and the other villagers
Nyoka (née-YO-kah): means “snake” in Shona;[1] is the king but we do not know that until the end of the story; the king shape-shifted into a snake (hence the name) to spy on the village women to decide which one is suitable to be his wife.[2]
Awardsedit
The Caldecott Honor Book (1988): The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to celebrate the achievement of picture book. Every year the Caldecott committee also cites other books as worthy of attention. These books are named Caldecott Honor Books and silver medals may be applied to those books. [3]
Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrators (1988): The Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrators is awarded annually to one African American illustrator who demonstrates "appreciation of African American culture and universal human values".[4]
Receptionedit
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters was well received by critics, who celebrated it for having what they described as both positive messages and beautiful illustrations.[5] It has been used in children's education in lesson plans about the need for generosity,[6] black representation in children's books,[7] and to serve as an example of descriptive people and settings.[8] Additionally, it was used in a study of children's literacy.[9] Lastly, due to its representation of minority culture and simple diction, it also is seen in many different curricula for teaching English as a second language.[10]
^Weikle-Mills, Courtney (2019). "The Obscure Histories of Goosee Shoo-shoo and Black Cinderella: Seeking Afro-Caribbean Children's Literature in the Nineteenth Century". Children's Literature. 47 (1): 57–78. doi:10.1353/chl.2019.0004. S2CID 182726500.
^Muse, Daphne (December 1993). "Black American Classics in Fiction and Poetry for Young Readers". American Visions. 8 (6): 33.
^Fisher, Ros (July 2002). "Shared thinking: metacognitive modelling in the literacy hour". Reading. 36 (2): 63–67. doi:10.1111/1467-9345.00188. hdl:10036/47182.
^Flood, James; Lapp, Diane (1994). "Issues and Trends: Developing Literary Appreciation and Literacy Skills: A Blueprint for Success". The Reading Teacher. 48 (1): 76–79. JSTOR 20201368.
^Gravelle, M. (2010). Planning for Bilingual Learners: An Inclusive Curriculum. Trentham Books Ltd. Westview House 734 London Road, Oakhill, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 5NP, UK.[page needed]
March 15, 2024
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Mufaro s Beautiful Daughters is a children s picture book published in 1987 by John Steptoe The book won many awards for Steptoe s illustrations and went on to be adapted into many different children s literature curricula In the late 1980s Weston Woods made a version of the book narrated by Terry Alexander AuthorJohn SteptoeIllustratorJohn SteptoeCountryUnited StatesGenrePicture Book FolktalePublisherScholastic 1989 Publication date1987AwardsCaldecott Honor Book Contents 1 Summary 2 Inspiration 3 Characters 4 Awards 5 Reception 6 ReferencesSummary editMufaro is a villager who lives with his two daughters Nyasha and Manyara The two sisters are opposites in many ways as Nyasha is seen favorably by the villagers for her kindness while Manyara is bad tempered and bullies her sister whenever their father s back is turned When they learn of the Great King s request for his citizens to send him any women they see as worthy of becoming his wife their father chooses to send both of his daughters Manyara goes first and along the way meets a hungry child but refuses to offer him any food She also comes across an old woman offering advice on how to progress past the laughing trees but does not listen to them and hurries to the royal city Conversely when Nyasha leaves on her trek she chooses to feed the young boy and listens to the old woman When she and her father arrive in the city they are met by her frightened sister Manyara begs them not to go into the king s chambers as there is a giant monster in there that recited her bad deeds and threatened to devour her and Manyara is frightened that it will harm her sister However when Nyasha enters the chambers she is met by a harmless garden snake she had met while gardening earlier He reveals himself as the king and states that he had shapeshifted during the journey in order to test the sisters personalities and kindness He chooses to marry Nyasha due to her kindness and beauty making her the queen while Manyara becomes Nyasha s servant Inspiration editSteptoe derived his inspiration from the folktale Kaffir Folk lore published by author G M Theal in 1895 Steptoe s illustrations reflect his time in studying an ancient city in Zimbabwe the images of flowers and trees are exact replicas of the ones that lived during the reign of this unknown ancient city 1 Characters editMufaro moo FAR oh means happy man in Shona 1 native language of Steptoe the father of Nyasha and Manyara has some power in the village but it is unclear the extent of it He is a happy good natured man who loves his daughters Nyasha nee AH sha means mercy in Shona 1 one of Mufaro s daughters becomes queen at the end of the story She is kind caring and generous to everyone Manyara mahn YAR ah means ashamed in Shona 1 one of Mufaro s daughters becomes servant at the end of the story is arrogant selfish and consistently mean to her sister animals and the other villagersNyoka nee YO kah means snake in Shona 1 is the king but we do not know that until the end of the story the king shape shifted into a snake hence the name to spy on the village women to decide which one is suitable to be his wife 2 Awards editThe Caldecott Honor Book 1988 The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to celebrate the achievement of picture book Every year the Caldecott committee also cites other books as worthy of attention These books are named Caldecott Honor Books and silver medals may be applied to those books 3 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrators 1988 The Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrators is awarded annually to one African American illustrator who demonstrates appreciation of African American culture and universal human values 4 Reception editMufaro s Beautiful Daughters was well received by critics who celebrated it for having what they described as both positive messages and beautiful illustrations 5 It has been used in children s education in lesson plans about the need for generosity 6 black representation in children s books 7 and to serve as an example of descriptive people and settings 8 Additionally it was used in a study of children s literacy 9 Lastly due to its representation of minority culture and simple diction it also is seen in many different curricula for teaching English as a second language 10 References edit a b c d e Steptoe John 1987 Mufaro s Beautiful Daughters Puffin Books non primary source needed Weikle Mills Courtney 2019 The Obscure Histories of Goosee Shoo shoo and Black Cinderella Seeking Afro Caribbean Children s Literature in the Nineteenth Century Children s Literature 47 1 57 78 doi 10 1353 chl 2019 0004 S2CID 182726500 The Randolph Caldecott Medal American Library Association November 30 1999 http www ala org alsc awardsgrants bookmedia caldecottmedal aboutcaldecott aboutcaldecott Accessed March 22 2020 The Coretta Scott King Book Awards American Library Association January 18 2009 http www ala org rt emiert cskbookawards Accessed March 22 2020 Mufaro s Beautiful Daughters Kirkus Reviews Mufaro s Beautiful Daughters Literature Guide Muse Daphne December 1993 Black American Classics in Fiction and Poetry for Young Readers American Visions 8 6 33 Fisher Ros July 2002 Shared thinking metacognitive modelling in the literacy hour Reading 36 2 63 67 doi 10 1111 1467 9345 00188 hdl 10036 47182 Flood James Lapp Diane 1994 Issues and Trends Developing Literary Appreciation and Literacy Skills A Blueprint for Success The Reading Teacher 48 1 76 79 JSTOR 20201368 Gravelle M 2010 Planning for Bilingual Learners An Inclusive Curriculum Trentham Books Ltd Westview House 734 London Road Oakhill Stoke on Trent Staffordshire ST4 5NP UK page needed Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mufaro 27s Beautiful Daughters amp oldid 1207383056, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
