Customer Reviews

Dona Flor (Spanish Edition)

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In a charming tale set in the American Southwest, Dona Flor is larger than life. Flor's mother sang to her corn plants and they "grew as tall as trees" and "when she sang to her baby... Flor grew and grew too"; eventually Flor towers over her village, as big-hearted as her body. At first the children are intimidated, but they grow used to Flor, who is always willing to help them out. She makes tortillas every morning, the extra ones convenient for roofs; "children float[ed] around on tortilla rafts". There is no end to Flor's creativity.

When first they hear the ferocious growls of a huge gato, a mountain lion, the villagers run to Flor for help. She who can even tame the roaring wind can surely save them from this new threat. While the children cower inside their homes, afraid to venture out, Flor searches for the fierce creature, but cannot find him anywhere. She turns to her animal friends- Flor can speak any language, including that of the animals- and asks for their assistance. "Go quietly to the tallest mesa", Flor is told. At the mesa, Flor discovers the source of this fearsome animal's braying, a tiny, but very clever puma.

The illustrations, a combination of color washes, etching and colored and litho pencils, give Dona Flor a brilliant intensity, the villagers tiny as they follow her around, happy beneficiaries of her bounty and endless generosity. A bridge between the imagination and the natural world, Dona Flor links the two, a giant lady with a heart to match. Luan Gaines/ 2006.