Traditional Literature Books

Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About A Giant Woman With A Great Big Heart

by Pat Mora

ISBN: 0375823379

Grades K-3rd

This is a tall tale about a giant girl named Dona who is able to talk to animals. She is a kind girl who does favors for the children of the town. When the town is being haunted by an animals howling Dona questions the animals around town to find what is making the noise. To everyone's suprise it turns out to be an upset Puma and Dona soothes the puma by speaking with him and returns peace to her village.

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All The Way to Lhasa: A Tale From Tibet

by Barbara Helen Berger

ISBN: 0399233873

An elderly lady sitting on the side of the rode is approached by a man on a horse who asks how far is Lhasa and she tells him that he won't make it there before dark. Soon another person comes up but this time it is a boy walking with his yak. He asks the same question and she answers that he will get there before dark. The boy is determined to get to Lhasa so he paces himself and passes up the horse rider who has used all his energy trying to hurry up and get there quickly. This is a really good book for young readers about determination and being able to pace yourself instead of rushing through every task.

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Little Gold Star: A Spanish American Cinderella Tale

by Robert D. San Souci

ISBN: 0688147801

Grades 1-4

This Cinderella Tale is about a girl named Teresa who lives alone with her father in New Mexico. Her father marries a widow in town and Teresa inherits two stepsisters. Teresa's father gives her a lamb as a gift but her jelous stepmother kills it and sends Teresa to the river to clean its fleece. Teresa goes to the river crying and a fish steals the fleece. While she is crying a beautiful woman pops up and promises to get her back the fleece if she helps an old man and child in a home on the hill. She helps them and as her reward the beautiful woman gives her a gold star on her forhead. When she gets home her stepmothers once again gets jealous and send Teresa's stepsisters to get a gold star as well but because they mistreat the mand and the baby they are given donkey ears and horns instead. Teresa goes to a ball given by Don Miguel and they fall in love at the ball and he asker for her hand in marriage. She refuses to marry him without the permission of her stepmother. When she asks for her stepmother's permission the stepmother gives her a series of impossible tasks but Teresa is able to complete them and her and Don Miguel are married. After they are wed the stepsisters lose their horns and donkey ears and them and the stepmother change to become nicer people.

This story is a good variation to the classic Cinderella story that most children know and could be read with other versions of Cinderella as a comparisson assignment to see the differences.