The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin; Illustrated by David Shannon

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Martin, Rafe. 1992. THE ROUGH-FACE GIRL. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 0399218599

2. PLOT SUMMARY
A poor man in the village has three daughters, the youngest of which is forced to serve her sisters. She gets injured by the fire and any resources her father has left, go to the older sisters. It was this Rough-Face Girl, however, that could see the Invisible Man in the nature around her. She borrowed what she could from her father and made the journey to his wigwam. After passing his sister’s test, she became a beautiful bride, free of scars. The outward beauty was unimportant to her new groom or his sister, as they saw her beautiful heart.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This Algonquin Indian folktale is a beautiful combination of a Cinderella story and that of The Ugly Duckling. It teaches that beauty comes from the heart, not outward appearances. Just like in many Cinderella stories, the protagonist is ruled by older siblings and is forced to cater to their needs. Eventually, she is given a chance to become something great. In this story, however, she creates her own chance, and is rewarded with freedom from those things that bound her throughout her life.

This book has beautiful illustrations with exquisite details on every page. The dark images bring out the mysterious mood of the story, yet are colorful and full of life. David Shannon appears to have connected with the story and researched the folklore in order to create such powerful images.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “the drama of these haunting illustrations--and of Martin's (Foolish Rabbit's Big Mistake) respectful retelling--produce an affecting work”
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “The Rough-Faced Girl … will provide both entertainment and a cultural lesson.”

5. CONNECTIONS
* Compare and contrast this story with that of other versions of Cinderella stories.
* Have older students write about a time that they felt like the Rough-Faced Girl. How did he or she overcome the obstacles that stood in the way?
*Additional reading:
Louie, Ai-Ling. YEH-SHEN. ISBN 0698113888
Steptoe, John. MUFARO’S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS. ISBN 0688040454
Climo, Shirley. THE EGYPTIAN CINDERELLA. ISBN 0064432793