Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale

Written by John Steptoe

Narrated by Robin Miles

This modern fable of pride going before a fall portrays two sisters, the spiteful Manyara and the considerate Nysha, and the young king who is searching for a wife.

A Live Oak Media audio production.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Live Oak Media
• Release date: Jan 1, 2001
• ISBN: 9781430115427

Reviews for Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters

[mom2lnb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As a new grandmother, I’ve been searching for more diverse children’s books to add to my library, and I ran across Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters at the library sale a while back. I bought it and I’m so glad I did. It’s a lovely Cinderella-esque story of a man named Mufaro who lives in an African village and has two beautiful daughters, Manyara and Nyasha. Manyara is selfish and cruel, while Nyasha is always sweet and kind to humans and animals alike. One day, a messenger arrives from the city, saying that the king is searching for a wife and he’s invited all the most beautiful and worthy daughters in the land to appear before him. Wanting to be the first to arrive, Manyara sneaks out ahead of everyone else, but fails to heed the warnings of the people she meets along the way. Meanwhile Nyasha leaves with everyone else the next morning and when she arrives a surprise awaits her.As a lover of all things fairy tale, I very much enjoyed this story. It’s everything I expect a fairy tale to be, including the HEA, just with an African backdrop and characters. According to the author’s note inside, the story was inspired by an African folktale that was published in the late 19th century, while the characters names are taken from the Shona language. The illustrations are quite beautiful, detailed, and realistic, and again, according to the note, the settings were inspired by the ruins of an ancient city in Zimbabwe, as well as the plants and animals of the region. Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters was a Caldecott Honor Book and also the recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award for its illustrations, and I can definitely see why. In addition to the wonderful illustrations and the fairy tale quality of the story, I also very much appreciated the message about true beauty having more to do with a kindness of the heart and that pride and selfishness have consequences. The book is a keeper for me, and with this being my first read by the late John Steptoe, I’ll certainly be checking out his other work.

[gloriasidney · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters is an African folktale picture book that tells the tale of two sisters in line to become Queen. While Nyasha is sweet and kind, Manyara is selfish and cruel. One day, it was announced that the king is seeking a wife. The tale goes on to show that although Manyara set out first to win the hand of the King, her character showed that she was not prepared for the obstacles that awaited her on her quest. Nyasha handles them with kindness and grace which leads her to winning the heart of the king. This book incorporates both reading and writing elements such as conflict/resolution, character development, organization, descriptive word choice and theme. This book also shares the perspective of a different culture. The beautiful drawings express emotions and the competing dynamics of the characters.

[maowangvater · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When the king decides to select a wife from the most beautiful maidens in the land, sisters Nyasha and Manyara are sent to the king by their father. But ill-tempered and selfish Manyara sets out the night before hoping to steal a march on her sister. On her way she meets some very strange characters, but she either ignores them or treats them rudely. The next morning when Nyasha sets out she meets the same characters, but she is generous and polite to them. Which sister will the king choose? In this gorgeously illustrated book Steptoe retells a Kaffir tale of sibling rivalry and the virtue of compassion.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Poor Manyara. The 'bad' sister's perspective was never explained, but since her name means 'ashamed' maybe she was troubled from birth. No mother was mentioned, either.

[nicoleginex · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked the story, "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters." I liked the story because of the illustrations. The illustrations throughout the story were very engaging, and I liked how detailed they were. For example, the drawings of Manyara and Nyasha resembled real people and had their own facial expressions rather than standard faces. I also liked how this version of the Cinderella story was between two sisters rather than a stepmother. For example, Manyara is the major tormentor and torments her sister, Nyasha, and their mother had passed away. The main idea of the story is to expect the unexpected. Even though Manyara expected herself to be queen, Nyasha was chosen.

[kelliemcfadzen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book for a couple of reasons. One reason was because of the message. The message was to always be kind because you never know whose watching. For example, one of the sisters was so rude to all of the people she saw along her way to the kingdom, and the King wound up being a 5 headed snake. The other sister was nice to them, so the King wound up being the King himself, and not someone else. I also liked this book because it sounded like it was being told and not read. For example, " Nyasha was sad that Manyara felt this way, but she ignored her sister's words and went about her chores. The author made it seem like they were telling us this information, and it was being said by one of the characters.

[lhanso1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book because of the well-developed characters and because of the plot's conflict and resolution to that conflict. The well-developed characters are two sisters, Manyara and Nyasha. Nyasha is sweet and caring while Manyara is bitter and selfish. The development of these characters allows the reader to truly understand the differences between the sisters and the kind heart of Nyasha and the hate within Manyara. The conflict in the story is that the Prince is choosing to marry one of the sisters. In order to decide which sister he will choose to marry, the Prince disguises himself as a poor boy and several other unfortunate characters. Nyasha is kind to all of the characters while Manyara is only kind when the Prince is not disguised. I enjoyed the resolution of the conflict and that the Prince chooses to marry Nyasha for her kind heart. The big message of this story is to be kind to everyone regardless of how they may be perceived.

[hphipp2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a Caldecott winner, so I expected to be of good quality. At first glance, it has beautiful illustrations and looks like a challenging read for elementary students. The story is easy to follow and teaches a good lesson. Both daughters were "clever and strong and beautiful," but the kind and virtuous daughter was rewarded in the end.This book is of good quality in the multicultural sense, too. The characters in the book are not shown in a bad or degrading light; they are shown as strong and competent. The story is hard to relate to in that children here are not looking to get married, but it shows a snippet of African culture in this way.

[ashpoe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

1.) Nyasha and Manyara are the daughters of Mufaro, where one is sweet, caring, and considerate and the other is self centered, selfish, and very spoiled. The king is to pick his wife from the beautiful daughters of the land and the two sisters ,she their way to see which is chosen because he can only have one. Manyara is the meanest of the sisters and decided to travel before her sister to get to the king first. On her journey she encounters a garden snake, an old woman, and hungry young boy who is actually the king disguised and he sees for himself how rude and nasty Manyara truly is and sees how sweet and kind the other sister Nyasha actually is. She wins the heart of the king because of her big heart.2,) This book is in my top five children books because of the beautiful pictures and because of the golden rule treat others you want to be treated. It is a book early on that kids are able to see good vs evil and what good can come out of having a golden heart. The tone in the book really shines through and helps the reader develop compassion and better understanding. 3.). Classroom ideas would be to construct a scene in shoe box. Using different materials, crayons, markers, etc one half encountering either the young boy, snake, or old woman by each sister. One half of the project showing the evil encounter and other half the loving encounter from the sisters.

[azlanshae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a Cinderella story about an African girl named Nyasha who is teased by her sister Manyara. Manyara claims she will be Queen someday and have Nyasha serve her. Manyara tries to convince her father not to send Nyasha to win over the King. Manyara leaves early to get to the King first. She treats everyone and everything on the path to the King poorly. While the sister Nyasha treats everyone and everything in her path with kindness. When Nyasha gets to the King’s chamber he says her actions show him she is the one. The King asks her to marry him and a celebration and feast takes place. Manyara ends up being a servant in the Queens chamber.

[asweet2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Both of Mufaro's daughters are beautiful but Manyara is bad tempered and Nyasha is kind. When the king of the land asks the daughters to appear before him so he can choose a queen,Manyara decides to set out in the night so she can get there first. As Manyara heads to the city she has many opportunities to her true, selfish, arrogant character. The next Nyasha follows the same path and makes different decisions that highlight her benevolent and selfless nature. The King chooses Nyasha as a bride after witnessing her kindness. I enjoyed this beautifully illustrated African folktale of humility and the dangers of pride. It is reminiscent of Cinderella, which my be familiar to students, but couched in a multicultural narrative. I would use this as a mentor text for characteristics of a folk-tale.

[breksarah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the story about how good can and will usually prevail over evil. It tells about two sisters, both vying to be queen. However, the nice sister becomes queen and the mean sister does not. This is a twist on the classic Cinderella story. This story teaches us that we must treat others as we want to be treated and good things will happen. This is a great teaching tool for showing students how to treat one another and how to respect each other. I would use this book for second grade thought fifth grade.

[lmeza-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The illustrations are magnificent, the lesson taught is great. Still, too many words for my 4 year old ...

[brittasorensen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This fairytale is about two daughters who set off to try to marry a king. One is kind and the other vain and selfish. The kind one, Nyasha, loves to garden and befriends a snake. The other, Manyara, tries to get ahead of her sister by leaving early, but is set back again and again by her selfishness. There are many trials set up on the trail to the kind, and while Manyara fails each one with her selfishness, Nyasha passes each with her kindness. In the end, the king ends up being the snake Nyasha met in her garden and they end up marrying.This is a great book to use in a fairytale unit, to show how fairytales are used all over the world. The illustrations are realistic and beautiful, drawing the reader in. The story teaches an important lesson in the importance of being kind and caring.

[kharri34 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There are many reasons that I enjoyed this book. First, I enjoyed the setting of the book because it portrayed a world that I knew very little about. Mufaro was the king of a village in Africa so I was able to learn about the experiences of his daughters which were very different than my own. For example, the daughters experienced trying to find husbands at very young ages. Also, I liked the characters in this story because they were very unique even though they were similar to the characters in “Cinderella.” For example, the King that one of the daughters married was disguised as a snake for the majority of the book. This was both shocking and entertaining for the story as it was set in a small village in Africa. The big idea of this book is that being kind to others rather than selfish will be extremely beneficial in the end.

[david9z · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe is a story based on an African folk tale, which seems to be a Cinderella variant. There is, however, no evil stpmother, and there are two daughters, both of them beautiful. The tale is charming with morals including treating others as you would be treated and the value of charity.Most impressive are the illustrations. The paintings are in a realistic detailed style and show the forest as scary by night, but lush and gorgeous by day. The people and animals are depicted as handsome and beautiful.The story could be used in a folktale unit or in making opredictions as to what may happen next. For ages 5 to 8, folktale theme, and for fans of John Steptoe. Recommended for school and public library collections.

[nmhale_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mufaro lives in a village not far from a kingdom and a great king, and he has two beautiful daughters, Manyara and Nyasha. He thinks his daughters are wonderful and beautiful, and though they are both lovely, only one of them has the same lovely quality inside and out. Nyasha is sweet and kind, helps anyone and anything, and yet is modest and doesn't seek recognition. Even when her sister teases and harasses her, Nyasha just brushes off the meanness. Manyara, on the other hand, has a short temper and a big ego. She resents that Nyasha receives attention for her goodness, and one day hopes to see her sister as a servant in her own palace.One day, the king announces that he is in need of a wife, and calls on the most worthy and beautiful daughters of the land to come to him. Manyara sneaks out in the evening, determined to get to the king before her sister. Along her path, she coldly disregards a poor, starving boy, and rudely ignores an old woman's advice. Nyasha sets out the next morning, as planned. At first, she and her family are frightened for Manyara's safety, but when they see her footprints on the path, they decide just to head towards the kingdom. As Nyasha travels, she offers food to the boy and is kind to the old woman, all without prompting. When they reach the kingdom, Manyara runs to them, in hysterics. She claims that the king is a horrible many-headed snake. Nyasha bravely presses forward; instead of meeting a monster, she meets the king, who welcomes her. He tested both sisters on their journey, taking the form of a boy and an old woman, and he learned who had a heart as worthy as her looks. One of Mufaro's daughters does become queen in the end; yet is Nyasha who rules, and Manyara who works as her servant. The story is lavishly illustrated with paintings that not only capture the personalities of the characters, but accurately depict the African setting, as well. The credits at the beginning of the book

[malindahodgson-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved the illustrations in this book. They are amazing! I story was about two beautiful sisters. One sister was kind and loving. The other sister was mean and vindictive. The sister were supposed to take a journey to meet the king. The king wanted to pick one of the sisters to be his wife. The king was able to see the hearts of both sisters, and chose the kind hearted sister to be his queen.

[jenae5-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Kindergarten aged kids were so happy I read this book to them. It reminded them of a Cinderella type story, and I enjoyed it myself.

[dukefan86 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a beautifully illustrated story about two African daughters, one of whom gets rewarded for her kindness to animals and people both young and old by being chosen to marry the king. The other sister with the nasty attitude becomes the new queen's (her sister) servent.

[leighannejensen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mufaro has two lovely daughters - Manyara and Nyasha - with very different personalities. Manyara is snide and rude, while Nyasha is sweet and kind. The Great King announces that he wishes to take a wife, and both daughters go to the great city to appear before him. Manyara leaves in the middle of the night, determined to be first, and is rude to all she meets on her way. When she sees the king, she sees only a monster. Nyasha travels with her father, is kind and generous to all she meets, and when she approaches the king, she sees an old friend. He is the king, they are married, and they live happily together.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Inspired by a story in George McCall Theal's 1895 collection, Kaffir Folk Tales (apologies everyone, I did not name the book), John Steptoe's 1987 picture-book, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, was awarded a Caldecott Honor (as well as being chosen as a Reading Rainbow selection), and it is not difficult to see why! The gorgeous illustrations capture the beauty of Mufaro's village, and the surrounding countryside, the majesty of the King's great city, and the very different dispositions of Mufaro's two beautiful daughters, Nyasha and Manyara. The tale itself, in which inner beauty is rewarded, while vanity and disrespect are not, has many motifs that folklore enthusiasts will recognize, from the competition amongst sisters for royal favor, to the three tests which the characters must face.Chosen as one of our April selections, over in the Picture-Book Club to which I belong, where our theme this month is "Royalty," Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters is a book that I first encountered as a young girl, and which I have always loved. The story itself is charming, the artwork immensely appealing, and the setting at Great Zimbabwe - an ancient civilization that has always intrigued me - all combine in a most satisfying way. I was struck, on this rereading, by the disconnect between Steptoe's source material (the original tale would have been Xhosa) and the cultural setting he chose (Shona), but appreciated his honesty, in not trying to claim that his retelling was traditional. Leaving this issue aside, this is a wonderful book, one I would recommend to young folk and fairy-tale lover everywhere!

[jillsmith23 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an African spin on Cinderella. It is a folktale that has a theme of kindness. This book is good for children in the elementary school level.

[gundulabaehre · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe, is a wonderful African take on the globally-known and ever popular Cinderella story (both narrative and illustrations are outstanding and make this a true treasure, not only for children, but for anyone interested in and appreciative of global folk and fairy tales). While the tale itself (like most Cinderella-type stories) is rather predictable, it is engagingly narrated and the evocative illustrations are simply too beautiful for words. Furthermore, the fact that details of the illustrations are based on the ruins of an ancient city found in Zimbabwe, pays homage to the ancient civilisations of Africa.One aspect of Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters that really speaks to me is the fact that (at least in my opinion) there are no absolute villains in this story. Manyara is vain, proud, unhappy and constantly teases her sister Nyasha, but she never tries to actively harm her sister (unlike so many other Cinderella-type tales, where the stepsisters or siblings not only make life miserable for the heroine, but often try to actively harm, even kill the poor girl). And when Mufaro and Nyasha finally arrive in the city, Manyara attempts to warn her sister about the supposed monster. Manyara really does seem to care about her sister's safety and obviously could not have known that for Nyasha, having passed the test that Manyara herself had failed due to her pride and vanity, the snake would turn into the king (and become Nyasha's husband).Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters also rather strongly reminds me of some of the (what I would call) sibling quest folk and fairy tales, where two very different sisters or brothers go on a similar quest, but only one (the virtuous, humble sibling, who shares his/her food and is kind and loving to all) receives a reward. Thus, I would consider this tale more of a combinatory offering of sibling quest and Cinderella elements, with perhaps even suggestions of stories that feature a monster bridegroom (the snake who turns into the king). While I am very happy that John Steptoe has included an author's note, acknowledging his main sources, the folklore enthusiast in me would have preferred a more in-depth analysis and discussion of origins, sources and similarities. His author's note is quite adequate, but it did leave me wishing for a bit more detail (a more thorough author's note would definitely have made this a five star book for me).

[bhellmay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters won the Caldecott honor prize for its wonderful illustrations. The pictures seem like photographs, painted with accuracy, well-chosen and harmonious colours. The two sisters, one of them mean and selfish, the other one generous and warm-hearted, are invited to meet the king, because he is looking for a wife. Nyasha tries to help whenever she can while her sister is just focused on becoming a queen. This is a nice story that I would definitely use in school (10-12 years) to talk about how one should treat other people and animals. This book shows exactly that everything one gives to another person comes back. Either the positive or the negative way.

[dbcollin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters is the tale of how a king decided which of Mufaro's daughters he would select as his wife. One daughter was kind and the other very self-centered. It is a good lesson in treating others well and the rewards that can come from it.

[jhurmtr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a great Cinderella story. Mufaro has two daughters who make a journey to see the prince. One daughter is kind and helpful while the other is bitter and selfish. This is a great fairy tale for late 2nd grade through 4th grade.

[janetb2_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully illustrated and written rendition of Cinderella. The elements of African culture give this tale a clever twist on the original.

[cmesa1_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful African tale that narrates the story of two sister's one that was mean and not nice with others and another one that was kind and always happy to share with others it shows how if you are kind you will receive blessing in your life.

[juana7_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully illustrated African tale of a man, Mufaro, who has two beautiful daughters. One is kind and generous in spirit, while the other is ill-tempered and jealous. When the king sends notice far and wide that he is looking to choose a queen, Mufaro decides to take his daughters to meet the king, but the mean spirited sister steals away in the night to try and meet the king and be named queen before her sister can arrive. Both sisters encounter strangers along the way, but each sister treats them differently. In the end, one is chosen queen. The story follows traditional folk and fairy tale form but is rich in its magnificently illustrated cultural detail which is the tale's true strength.