Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart by Pat Mora

Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman
With a Big Heart

By Pat Mora
Illustrated By Raul Colon

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Copyright date: October 2005

Number of pages: 40

Age Level: 3-7
Folklore

Dona Flor is a giant woman who lives in a very small village of normal-sized people. All the people in the village really like Flor and she likes them as well. She loves reading to the children of the village and often gives the villagers items such as tortillas to use as rafts. One day they all heard a very loud and terrifying sound coming from right outside their village; it sounded like a large animal. Everyone is afraid except for Flor who is very protective of her friends. She sets off with other animals to go investigate the noise. When she finds the source of the noise, she does not do what you would expect her to do, instead, she uses her heart. This book features Spanish words and phrases throughout the book which really reinforces the bicultural characters and setting of the book.

 I think this would be a great book to use during Women's History Month. I would read this book to my class after we have learned about a few women who have had a positive impacted on history. I would then have the students compare and contrast Dona Flora with one of the women we have learned about. Students would create a poster comparing and contrasting the two women. They can choose to show this in a venn diagram, drawing pictures, creating lists or any other way they can think of as long as the information is apparent. I would want to give some freedom on how this assignment is completed to allow students to express their opinions in their own way and show their own strengths. We would also discuss what are some characteristics that make someone a good person and what does a good leader look, sound and act like? This lesson will incorporate reading, writing, character education, Spanish and art into one. 

Awards: Pura Belpre Award for Illustration