Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart by Pat Mora
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Dona Flor is a folk tale about a giant woman who grew to an enormous size because her mother sang to her. She is a Paul Bunyan-esque friendly giant, always helping out her village in ways that only a giant can-- she makes gigantic tortillas that people use as roofs, pokes a thumb into the ground to make a river spring up, and hugs a vicious wind all night to calm him down. Her enormous size is exaggerated in the text, like when she was startled and jumped up, only to hit the sun with her head and give it a black eye. Dona Flor's village starts to be terrorized by a wildcat yowling all night-- the puma sounds huge because it is very loud, but Dona Flor can't find it. Can her animal friends help her find it? There are Spanish words and phrases scattered throughout the text. The illustrations, which take up full pages, are wonderfully executed with soft lines and texture. The palate is warm and consists mostly of golden browns, blues, and greens. Recommended for grades 1-3.
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