Mufaro's beautiful Daughters
by: John Steptoe

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Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters is a Marchen.  They usually take place in a magical land.  A common theme in Marchens involves an underdog who, through the help of magic, obtains her birthright or marriage partner.  The hero/heroine is asked to do impossible tasks to obtain this, but through the help of magic, they live "happily ever after."

This folktale was inspired by an earlier folktale from a book by G.M. Theal.  The illustrations were inspired by the ruins and the flora and fauna of an ancient city in Zimbabwe.  Zimbabwe occupies part of the great plateau of southern Africa.  English is the official language of Zimbabwe.  The most important Bantu languages are Shona and Ndebele.  The names of the characters are from the Shona language and mean the following: Mufaro (moo-FAR-on) means "happy man," Nyasha (ne-AH-sha) means "mercy," Manyara (mahn-YAR-ah) means "ashamed," and Myoka (nee-YO-kah) means "snake."

Internet Resources Vocabulary
Comprehension Questions Student Projects

Internet Resources

bullet California's Teacher Guide for Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
bullet Cinderella in Africa
bullet Cyber lesson
bulletLinks and Lesson Plans

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Vocabulary for Mufaro's New Daughters

Manyara
means "ashamed"
selfish
greedy
 


Nyasha
means "mercy"
kind
wise

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Comprehension Questions

  1. Describe the two sisters.
  2. What did Mangara do to show you she was mean to Nyasha?
  3. What happened to Nyasha when she went to the garden?
  4. What did Mangara do after the messenger arrived at the village?
  5. Who did Mangard meet on her journey and how did she respond to them?
  6. What did Nyasha do when she meets the same people?
  7. What did Mangara find at the end of her journey compared to Nyasha's journey?
  8. How did the story end?

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Student Projects
 

Materials Needed:  A copy of Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, a pencil, and a piece of paper.

Before You Read
Before you begin reading Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe, choose one of the following activities to do.

1.  In this story you will see many amazing animals.  Create some amazing CRITTERS of your own.  See how many cool creatures you can create!

2.  The story takes place in Africa, which is full of many different kinds of animals.   See if you can find your animal somewhere in the story when you read.

3.  Try to solve the PUZZLE to see what african animal is mixed up.  


 
 


 

While You Read

While you are reading the story, write down a description of the people Manyara and Nyasha meet on the way to the palace.  Write down the animals that you see around these people.  Think about why these people are helpful or not to Manyara and Nyasha.


 

After You Read

1.  Write down what you think the meaning of the story is.  What message is the author trying to tell you?

2.  What kind of other animals might you see in this story?  What would it sound like if you were in Africa?  Go and investigate what some other animals look like and the SOUNDS they make.

3.  Click on some animals and see if you can find all of the ANIMALS FROM THE STORY.  Some of these animals are from Africa, and some are from other places.  Is there any way that you can tell where these animals are from?


 



 
 

Beyond What You Read

Go to one of these sites to learn more about Africa or the animals that live there.

1.  Go here to learn more about AFRICA and the people and animals that live there.

2.  Go here to learn more about ANIMALS and see pictures of them.  Be sure to read about the animals and how they live.


 

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