Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition [Hardcover]

Jewell Reinhart Coburn (Author), Connie McLennan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Domitila is not only "sweeter than a cactus bloom in early spring," she is also a talented cook and an amazing leather artist. most of the classical elements of a Cinderella story can be found in Domitila. A gentle weaving of her mother's nurturing with strong family traditions is the secret ingredient for Domitila to rise above hardship to eventually become the Governor's bride. Moreover, with a firm belief in simplicity and realism, Domitila makes a lasting impression as a triumphant Cinderella in her humility, service, and unassuming modesty.

Unlike most ivory tower Cinderellas, the only transformation in this story is Timoteo's—Domitila's suitor—as we watch him mature from an arrogant politician's son to a compassionate family man. There is no glass slipper to fight over, and no fairy godmother to save the day. All Domitila has are her innate qualities and her family legacy. Finally, the readers are invited to get to know Cinderella for who she is, unlike the typical fantasy character!

With love and care in every stroke, McLennan captured on canvas the warmth of relationships, the fondness for color and texture, and the versatile patterns characteristic of the Mexican people. Readers will soon fall in love with the shimmering light of the desert landscape and this well-told story of Cinderella-with-a-twist.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

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, WA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3^-5, younger for reading aloud. There are no glass slippers in this tale based on folklore from Hidalgo, Mexico, but elements of the Cinderella story remain. When her mother grows ill, Domitila, a skilled cook and craftswoman, takes a job at the governor's house. Timoteo, the governor's son, loves her exceptional dishes, but Domitila's mother dies, and she returns home before Timoteo meets her. He travels the state, asking locals about "the girl who can make delicacies from desert weeds," and meets evil Malvina, who schemes to marry Domitila's grieving father and present her own lazy daughter to Timoteo as the woman he seeks. Luckily, Timoteo meets Domitila by chance, and the expected happy ending ensues: love, marriage, and new life in the governor's house. Both the text and Connie McLennan's oil illustrations tell the story satisfactorily, though children will probably skip over the heavy-handed, bilingual aphorisms framing each text box. Young readers will enjoy comparing this moralistic story with the familiar fairy tale, and will come away with an expanded sense of the region's landscape and culture. A brief glossary and a recipe are appended. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Shens Books (March 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885008139
• ISBN-13: 978-1885008138
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Explore the World > Mexico
  • #89 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Multicultural

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Now including culture, morals, and interest for boys, April 23, 2001

By 

Kendergirl "E. Wryly" (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition (Hardcover)

The story of a Mexican Cinderella character, this book is beautifully done with warmly coloured oil on canvas paintings that poignantly draw to mind the dry Mexican landscape. Most importantly, the illustrator has resisted the urge to create perfect characters, and instead presents a pleasant looking "Cinderella" with bland features and a square jaw, perhaps because the story is based on the family legend of the Rivero family of Hidalgo, Mexico. The author's text is mostly traditional for a fairy tale, but includes Spanish words with translations on the back page. The plot holds more interest than the traditional Cinderella tale, as the Prince is a Governor's son who begins the story haughty and spoiled, but while on a quest for the girl who makes delicious nopales (edible cactus, made by the common people), changes into a person of worth who can truly love a girl of the common people. This focus and character development of the often forgotten prince may make this tale more interesting to boys, as the male character is the hero on a quest, rather than the reward at the end of a girl's suffering. Furthermore, the tale is woven of realistic elements, rather than the fairy godmother, singing mice, and glass slipper of tradition, as it is explained why the father remarries, and includes a period of grief after the mother's death. However, beyond the plot and setting, the author waxes moralistic, presenting the likeable, yet lifeless Domitila as a goody-goody with a loving heart who follows her mother's instructions to "do every task with care, and always add a generous dash of love." Additionally, the text is framed in proverbs, presented both in English and Spanish, on the subjects of love and work, which add "atmosphere," but may get too sermonic to hold the attention of a child. Includes appealing history of the tale, as well as a recipe for Domitila's nopales on the last page.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, April 3, 2002

By 

Megan Allyn (New England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition (Hardcover)

This story is one of the Cinderella tales however this one is from Mexico. A young girl goes and cooks for the governor, and the governor is amazed by the taste of the meals that this girl can cook. However Domitila's mother dies and she must return home. The prince wanting to taste the wonderful food again goes out and searches for the woman who can cook a feast out of weeds. Although the governor faces some hardships and dishonest people in the end finds Domitila and marries her. This is a wonderful take off of the classic Cinderella story. I like it because it has Mexican traditions in it and the illustrations are wonderful. This book would be great to use as an introduction to different cultures. If I were to use this in my classroom I would try to get other countries versions of Cinderella so that they children could see even more differences and similarities in the stories.

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely Tale from Mexico, November 17, 2009

By 

Lynn Ellingwood "The ESOL Teacher" (Webster, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition (Hardcover)

A lovely tale about a young poor girl who attracts a wealthy man by her cooking. Domitila loses her slipper and love happens!