The Rough-Face Girl

Title: The Rough-Face Girl
Author: Rafe Martin
Illustrator: David Shannon
Genre: Traditional or Folk Literature

Summary:
The Rough-Face Girl is the Algonquin Indian version of the story we know as Cinderella. This book tells the story of a young girl who lives with her father and two sisters in a Algonquin tribe. In this tribe there lives an Invisible Being who is considered the most eligible bachelor. Every girl in the tribe wants to marry him, but the catch is only the girl who can see the Invisible Being will become his wife. To prove that they can see the Being, the girl in question must be able to fully describe him to his sister. If they pass the sister's test they can then marry the Invisible Being. The story then goes on to describe how none of the girls in the village are able to pass the sister's test, including the Rough-Face Girl's two cruel sisters. One day the Rough-Face Girl decides to try her luck at the sister's test. Because her father has already given all of his fortune away to her greedy sisters, the Rough-Face Girl is forced to go to the Invisible Beings home in an outfit made of bark and jewelry made from broken shells. She is ridiculed by the whole tribe because of her ridiculous attire and her less than perfect looks. The people are so blinded by her physical appearance that they are unable to see her immense inner beauty. Will the Rough-Face girl succeed where every other available girl in her tribe has failed? Will she be the wife the Invisible Being has long searched for? Read this book to find out.

Making the Connection:
By using the book The Rough-Face Girl in the classroom, I think that you would be able to do so many things. This story is a great way to introduce your class to folk literature. It also possesses a multicultural element that could be a useful lead-in to international literature. You could use this book to teach a lesson on comparing and contrasting differences. You could begin by having your students read both this story and another version of the Cinderella story. Next you could have your students make a chart listing the similarities and differences between the two versions. This story also shows children the importance of inner beauty and teaches the age old lesson that "you can not judge a book by it's cover."