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A review by gymnerdreader
Dona Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart by Pat Mora
4.0
Annotated Bibliography Entry: Dona Flor by Pat Mora
Summary:
Dona Flor is a giant who became a giant because her mom often sang to her as a child, which caused her to grow at an extraordinary rate. As a child, she was often made fun of for being a giant, but when she got older she realized that being a giant compared to everyone else has its benefits. For example, Dona Flor does a lot of kind things for the children living in her Pueblo. She sings to them, reads to them, brings them to school when they are late and even makes tortillas for everyone (including her neighbors), which are so big that they are often used as roofs or rafts. Needless to say, everyone relies on Dona Flor to keep them safe and out of harms way so when they start to hear a loud roar Dona Flor is the only one who can protect the people living in the Pueblo. However what appears to be a ferocious mountain lion is really just a tiny puma roaring into a log (which makes his roar louder as it echoes). Dona Flor thinks the little puma is the cutest thing ever and at the end of the book falls asleep on a cloud with a whole bunch animals sleeping on top of her, little puma included.
Personal Response:
This book did not have much of a plot, but I did enjoy it. I think it teaches children good messages about being compassionate and kind to others. For example, Dona Flor was picked on as a child, but as she grew older people began to realize how kind and caring Dona Flor was. They also discovered that being giant had a lot of benefits and the people began to overly rely on Dona Flora to keep everyone safe. While the people living in the Pueblo often used Dona Flor's kindness to their advantage, Dona herself represents what everyone should strive to be: kind and compassionate. Now, I would not want my students to take advantage of other's kindness (like the others often did), but there is some good things to learn about the humility of Dona Flor.
Descriptions of Illustrations:
Illustrations are very colorful and lively. I loved the contrast of the giant from the rest of the townspeople. It gives a readers a good sense of what it was like for Dona Flor to be a giant compared to everyone else, etc. It also allows students to kind of see things from Dona Flor's perspective. This is what really illustrates the contrast between giant and regular sized person.
Classroom Connections:
Since this is a tall tale, teachers could read this book to students to introduce them to the genre. After reading this book teachers could then read other tall tales to students. After doing that, teachers could create a venn diagram and have students compare and contrast aspects of tall tales. Other than the venn diagram, teachers could use this book to teach about aspects about kindness and compassion. This book as well as others that I have reviewed could easily be used to teach about kindness and do related activities.
Summary:
Dona Flor is a giant who became a giant because her mom often sang to her as a child, which caused her to grow at an extraordinary rate. As a child, she was often made fun of for being a giant, but when she got older she realized that being a giant compared to everyone else has its benefits. For example, Dona Flor does a lot of kind things for the children living in her Pueblo. She sings to them, reads to them, brings them to school when they are late and even makes tortillas for everyone (including her neighbors), which are so big that they are often used as roofs or rafts. Needless to say, everyone relies on Dona Flor to keep them safe and out of harms way so when they start to hear a loud roar Dona Flor is the only one who can protect the people living in the Pueblo. However what appears to be a ferocious mountain lion is really just a tiny puma roaring into a log (which makes his roar louder as it echoes). Dona Flor thinks the little puma is the cutest thing ever and at the end of the book falls asleep on a cloud with a whole bunch animals sleeping on top of her, little puma included.
Personal Response:
This book did not have much of a plot, but I did enjoy it. I think it teaches children good messages about being compassionate and kind to others. For example, Dona Flor was picked on as a child, but as she grew older people began to realize how kind and caring Dona Flor was. They also discovered that being giant had a lot of benefits and the people began to overly rely on Dona Flora to keep everyone safe. While the people living in the Pueblo often used Dona Flor's kindness to their advantage, Dona herself represents what everyone should strive to be: kind and compassionate. Now, I would not want my students to take advantage of other's kindness (like the others often did), but there is some good things to learn about the humility of Dona Flor.
Descriptions of Illustrations:
Illustrations are very colorful and lively. I loved the contrast of the giant from the rest of the townspeople. It gives a readers a good sense of what it was like for Dona Flor to be a giant compared to everyone else, etc. It also allows students to kind of see things from Dona Flor's perspective. This is what really illustrates the contrast between giant and regular sized person.
Classroom Connections:
Since this is a tall tale, teachers could read this book to students to introduce them to the genre. After reading this book teachers could then read other tall tales to students. After doing that, teachers could create a venn diagram and have students compare and contrast aspects of tall tales. Other than the venn diagram, teachers could use this book to teach about aspects about kindness and compassion. This book as well as others that I have reviewed could easily be used to teach about kindness and do related activities.