The Rough-Face Girl Reader Response

A. The Rough-Face Girl
B. Rafe Martin
C. David Shannon
D. Puffin Books, 1992
E. Picture book, traditional tale
F. k-4
G. The Rough-Face Girl is an Algonquin Cinderella story. It tells the story of a young girl whose older sisters make her sit by the fire. Sparks from the fire eventually make her skin rough and her hair dingy and ratty. In the same village as the sisters lived a great and powerful (and supposedly very handsome) Invisible Being. It was said that whoever could see the Invisible Being would be his wife. The two older sisters took every last nice thing their father could give them and went to see the Invisible Being. When they arrived, they were taken inside so the Invisible Being's sister (who saw how cruel and proud the two were) could prove to them that they had indeed not seen the Invisible Being. The next day, the youngest sister made an outfit out of bark and went to marry the Invisible Being. After proving that she saw the Invisible Being everywhere, she and the Invisible Being married and lived happily ever after.
H. Of the many Cinderella stories that I've read, this one is very much my favorite. There is so much more depth to this story than with the Cinderella stories that feature a beautiful girl. In this story, the Rough-Faced Girl is so destroyed by the sparks from the fire that she has become very ugly; there is no remnant of her beauty left. However, because of her kind spirit and her faith in herself and the world, she is able to see the beauty of the Invisible Being and therefore marry him. It teaches several great lessons: that no matter how insignificant you may seem, your spirit will raise you above your situation and that true beauty is on the inside and worthwhile people will take the time to see the beauty that lies under the skin.
The illustrations in this book were stunning. I was unable to find what media David Shannon used but it looks like chalk pastels. All of the characters are so expressive and the colors are so strong and rich. I feel like these illustrations really take the reader into the world of the Algonquins. Every time I open the book, I am transported to a village along Lake Ontario and I see the people who live there and I admire the landscape just as the Rough-face Girl sees it. The illustrations say more about the culture than the actual story does. Every facet of every page says something different about the Algonquins and their lifestyle. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to read or look at something that is much more than just a picture book or just a traditional tale.
I. The Rough-Face Girl is an excellent addition to any lesson on traditional literature. It is very easy to recognize this tale as a Cinderella tale but it's different enough to provide a whole new meaning to the stereotypical Cinderella. This book is also great for introducing students to Native Americans and, more specifically, the Algonquin tribes. After reading this book, I would have students conduct a small research project (in small groups) into one of the Native American tribes. Using the information that they gathered, students would write a Cinderella story, complete with illustrations, that reflects some of the individual aspects of each tribe. We would then share all the stories in front of the class and perhaps eat some traditional Native American food.

*Multicultural*