by John Steptoe
Steptoe, J. (1987). Mufaro's beautiful daughters: an African tale. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books.
Two beautiful daughters of Mufaro from Africa are quite different in personality. Manyara is prideful, bossy and angry; whereas, Nyasha is humble, compassionate and joyful. When the king sends a message to the villagers that he will choose the most worthy and beautiful girl to be his wife, Manyara is convinced that she will become queen. Unbeknownst to Manyara, her disrespectful behavior is not a secret to the king, whose identity is later revealed to Nyasha in a just twist.
This traditional picture book was inspired by a folktale from G. M. Theil's 1895 book entitled Kaffir Folktales. It teaches a timeless lesson which, in 2017, is a national campaign: Kindness Matters. The characters' names and the illustrations are reflective of and honoring to African culture. Speaking of the illustrations, they are captivating. The animals and scenery are gorgeous. The way that John Steptoe uses light on the faces of his characters causes them to appear realistic, 3-dimensional, and angelic. In addition, it emphasizes the beauty of Mufaro's daughters, for whom the book was named.
🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮
Author, John Steptoe's website: http://www.johnsteptoe.com/
Book trailer:
Preview of a musical Children's Theatre production:
Two beautiful daughters of Mufaro from Africa are quite different in personality. Manyara is prideful, bossy and angry; whereas, Nyasha is humble, compassionate and joyful. When the king sends a message to the villagers that he will choose the most worthy and beautiful girl to be his wife, Manyara is convinced that she will become queen. Unbeknownst to Manyara, her disrespectful behavior is not a secret to the king, whose identity is later revealed to Nyasha in a just twist.
This traditional picture book was inspired by a folktale from G. M. Theil's 1895 book entitled Kaffir Folktales. It teaches a timeless lesson which, in 2017, is a national campaign: Kindness Matters. The characters' names and the illustrations are reflective of and honoring to African culture. Speaking of the illustrations, they are captivating. The animals and scenery are gorgeous. The way that John Steptoe uses light on the faces of his characters causes them to appear realistic, 3-dimensional, and angelic. In addition, it emphasizes the beauty of Mufaro's daughters, for whom the book was named.
🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮🕮
Author, John Steptoe's website: http://www.johnsteptoe.com/
Book trailer:
Preview of a musical Children's Theatre production:
Kindness Matters campaign: http://kindness-matters.org/
