Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition
Grade 2-5-Young Domitila is an exceptionally talented and loving girl, able to cook, work leather, or make adobe with equal acumen. When torrential rains and her mother's illness make it necessary for her to look for work, she finds employment as a cook at the governor's mansion. Her culinary expertise gains her the attention of the governor's selfish son, Timoteo, who is distressed when she is called home to witness her mother's death. Despite the fact that his only clue to Domitila's whereabouts is a piece of beautifully tooled leather from her sandal, Timoteo sets out to find her, determined to eat her cooking again. As the story progresses, a subplot tells of the girl's malicious and manipulative new stepmother, who plans to marry her own daughter to the eligible young man. In a twist on more traditional versions, the fairy godmother here is the protagonist's memory of her mother, and the real transformation is not hers, but Timoteo's, who becomes loving and kind in the process of his search. Despite the fact that Domitila's face looks different from picture to picture, the full-page oil-on-canvas illustrations are bright, sumptuous, and visually enticing. The text is bordered by proverbs rendered in both Spanish and English. Well-written and strongly illustrated, this tale is a solid addition to the canon of New-World Cinderella stories, such as Robert San Souci's Cendrillon (S & S, 1998) and Joe Hayes's Little Gold Star/Estrellita de oro (Cinco Puntos, 2000).Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WACopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.