1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Martin, Rafe. 1992. THE ROUGH-FACE GIRL. Ill. by David Shannon. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 0698116267
2. PLOT SUMMARY
In an Algonquin village by the shores of Lake Ontario, three sisters lived in a teepee with their father. The two older stepsisters and father were mean to the younger sister. Over the years, because of being forced to sit by and tend the fire, the younger sister became scarred on her face, arms and hands; she became known as the rough-face girl. All the girls in the village, including the two mean stepsisters, sought the affections of the Invisible Being who lived on the other side of the lake. The Invisible Being would marry the young woman who could see him. After all the women in the village were rebuffed by the Invisible Being, the rough-face girl saw the Invisible Being because of her inner beauty and ability to see beautiful people and things around her. The Invisible Being married the rough-face girl, and they lived happily ever after.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
THE ROUGH-FACE GIRL is a variant of the Cinderella story that most children are introduced to in early childhood. This is the Native (American) Indian variant of the story. Like any good folklore, the plot is repetitive. Each of the girls seeks to win the favor of the Invisible One, each is asked the same questions, and each is rebuffed; that is, except for the rough-face girl. The rough-face girl won the hand of the Invisible One. In contrast to the Disney or American version, there is no prince; there is an Invisible One. There is no ball or wicked stepmother. The Invisible One is not a person but is the earth or nature. The natural environment is worshipped by American Indians in their religious and everyday living.
As is typical of good traditional literature, a strong moral is presented: there is beauty in the earth if we look for it. One can not disguise the strength that can lie within a beautiful, kind heart. Good is rewarded, and evil is punished. Rafe Martin points out that THE ROUGH-FACE GIRL is “actually a part of a longer and more complex traditional story.
This is a well written and illustrated, folklore picture book. Illustrations are full pages, earth-toned, and reminiscent of the Southwest and Indian motif. Because of the drawing and colors in the pictures, I found them to be mysterious, haunting, and sad.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library JournalGrade 3 Up-- Simply, in the words of an oral storyteller, Martin retells an Algonquin folktale. The youngest of three sisters is forced by the other two to sit by the fire and feed the flames, which results in the burning and scarring of her hair and skin. Desirous of marriage to an Invisible Being who lives in a huge wigwam across the village, these cruel siblings must prove to his sister that they have seen him, but they fail. The Rough-Face Girl, however, sees the Invisible Being everywhere and can answer his sister's questions correctly. Comparable in presentation to Caroline Cunningham's ``The Little Scarred One'' from The Talking Stone (Knopf, 1939; o.p.; reprinted in Castles and Dragons, Crowell, 1958; o.p.), but different in detail, this is a splendid read-aloud. It is the only single illustrated version available. Shannon's finely crafted full- and double-page acrylic paintings in the rich hues of the earth embody the full flavor of the story. His stunning cover portrait shows at one glance both the girl's beauty and her frightful scars. Another in the recent succession of Cinderella stories, The Rough-Face Girl begs for comparison with Princess Furball (Greenwillow, 1989), Tattercoats (Putnam, 1989), Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (Lothrop, 1987), Moss Gown (Clarion, 1987), etc., and will provide both entertainment and a cultural lesson. - Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
In an Algonquin village by the shores of Lake Ontario, three sisters lived in a teepee with their father. The two older stepsisters and father were mean to the younger sister. Over the years, because of being forced to sit by and tend the fire, the younger sister became scarred on her face, arms and hands; she became known as the rough-face girl. All the girls in the village, including the two mean stepsisters, sought the affections of the Invisible Being who lived on the other side of the lake. The Invisible Being would marry the young woman who could see him. After all the women in the village were rebuffed by the Invisible Being, the rough-face girl saw the Invisible Being because of her inner beauty and ability to see beautiful people and things around her. The Invisible Being married the rough-face girl, and they lived happily ever after.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
THE ROUGH-FACE GIRL is a variant of the Cinderella story that most children are introduced to in early childhood. This is the Native (American) Indian variant of the story. Like any good folklore, the plot is repetitive. Each of the girls seeks to win the favor of the Invisible One, each is asked the same questions, and each is rebuffed; that is, except for the rough-face girl. The rough-face girl won the hand of the Invisible One. In contrast to the Disney or American version, there is no prince; there is an Invisible One. There is no ball or wicked stepmother. The Invisible One is not a person but is the earth or nature. The natural environment is worshipped by American Indians in their religious and everyday living.
As is typical of good traditional literature, a strong moral is presented: there is beauty in the earth if we look for it. One can not disguise the strength that can lie within a beautiful, kind heart. Good is rewarded, and evil is punished. Rafe Martin points out that THE ROUGH-FACE GIRL is “actually a part of a longer and more complex traditional story.
This is a well written and illustrated, folklore picture book. Illustrations are full pages, earth-toned, and reminiscent of the Southwest and Indian motif. Because of the drawing and colors in the pictures, I found them to be mysterious, haunting, and sad.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library JournalGrade 3 Up-- Simply, in the words of an oral storyteller, Martin retells an Algonquin folktale. The youngest of three sisters is forced by the other two to sit by the fire and feed the flames, which results in the burning and scarring of her hair and skin. Desirous of marriage to an Invisible Being who lives in a huge wigwam across the village, these cruel siblings must prove to his sister that they have seen him, but they fail. The Rough-Face Girl, however, sees the Invisible Being everywhere and can answer his sister's questions correctly. Comparable in presentation to Caroline Cunningham's ``The Little Scarred One'' from The Talking Stone (Knopf, 1939; o.p.; reprinted in Castles and Dragons, Crowell, 1958; o.p.), but different in detail, this is a splendid read-aloud. It is the only single illustrated version available. Shannon's finely crafted full- and double-page acrylic paintings in the rich hues of the earth embody the full flavor of the story. His stunning cover portrait shows at one glance both the girl's beauty and her frightful scars. Another in the recent succession of Cinderella stories, The Rough-Face Girl begs for comparison with Princess Furball (Greenwillow, 1989), Tattercoats (Putnam, 1989), Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters (Lothrop, 1987), Moss Gown (Clarion, 1987), etc., and will provide both entertainment and a cultural lesson. - Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
BOOKLIST: Ages 6-9. This variant of the Cinderella tale takes place by the shores of Lake Ontario. Every girl in the Algonquin village wishes to marry the Invisible Being, who lives in a beautiful wigwam with his sister, but only a girl who can see the Invisible Being and answer his sister's questions can marry him. When the Rough-Face Girl (whose face and arms are scarred because her wicked sisters have forced her to tend the fire) goes to his wigwam, she alone knows that his bow is made of the rainbow's curve and his sled runner is formed from the Milky Way because she alone has seen him in the natural world around her. Shannon's dramatic, full-color paintings are striking and often rich in atmosphere, though some of the character portrayals seem glamorized or European. Martin introduces the story as an Algonquin Indian tale taken from a longer work, though he doesn't name its source. Given the beauty of the story, the strength of many of the illustrations, and the current interest in comparing variants of folktales from different cultures, libraries will find this a well-used picture book. (Reviewed Apr. 15, 1992) Carolyn Phelan.
5. CONNECTIONS:
As a variant of Cinderella, it comes natural to compare THE ROUGH-FACE GIRL to the original story of Cinderella, or other variants such as MIUFARO’S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS, MOSS GOWN, and/or PRINCESS FURBALL. One effective way to make the comparison is by use of a Venn Diagram, where similarities and distinctions can be noted. An essay could be written concerning either of the three cell of the diagram.
This book could also be used in a unit on the Algonquin Indians in particular and the North American Indians in general. A study of art and music would expand this unit.
For an interesting interpretation of the origin of this version of the Cinderella story, see
http://www.kstrom.net/isk/books/children/ch57.html
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