Martina the Beautiful Cockroach

Deedy, C. A., & Austin, M. (2007). Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale

(Illustrated ed.). Peachtree Publishing Company.

The young and beautiful cockroach Martina is ready to give her leg in marriage. She is in search of a lovely husband that will treat her right. Her wise grandmother, Abuela, shares an orthodox advice. Abuela tells Martina to spill coffee on her suitors’ shoes in order to expose their true personalities. After several attempts on the “Coffee Test”, Martina tries to pour coffee on a tiny mouse’s shoes. Before she could do the test, the mouse poured coffee on Martina’s shoes instead. Soon, Martina realized that he is the love of her life. The tiny mouse named Perez also happens to have a Cuban grandmother.

Deedy and Michael incorporated gorgeous pictures that helped narrate the story. Additionally, the illustrations captivated the essence of the characters and their relationships. The story conveys the themes of love and wisdom through a humorous Cuban folktale. This book is a great resource for ELL students as it exposes vocabulary in Spanish for cultural authenticity. Also, this book could be used for the reader's theater.

Similar books:

• Rooster's night out by Mitch Weiss and Martha Hamilton

• Adelaida : a Cuban Cinderella by Anna Monnar

• Madame Poulet and Monsieur Roach by Dianne De Las Casas; illustrated by Marita Gentry

From the same author:

• 14 Cows for America

• Agatha's Feather Bed: Not Just Another Wild Goose Story

• The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale

Book trailer:

• https://youtu.be/x24kj8FwLBQ