Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale retold by Carmen A. Deedy
Twenty-One year old Martina is a beautiful cockroach and is ready to get married. Her Cuban grandmother gave her some shocking advice on how to find the perfect husband. She told Martina she had to try the Coffee Test- to spill coffee on their shoes and see what their reaction would be when they lose their temper. Martina tried the Coffee Test and all her suitors failed. She was about to give up when Perez, the mouse showed up. As Martina was about to start the Coffee Test, Perez grabbed the coffee cup from Martina and spilled coffee on her shoes. Instead of being angry, Martina was delighted and asked him how he knew about the Coffee Test. He said he also had a Cuban grandma and they got married. This is a cute Cuban folktale that has wonderful illustrations. The illustrations are colorful and captures the characters facial expression. I would highly recommend this book to lower grades and to students that are in a bilingual program. The bilingual students will be able to identify with the Spanish words that are used in the story.
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