Little Gold Star / Estrellita de Oro: A Cinderella Cuento

By Joe Hayes

Book Overview

Ages 4-8. Hayes, a veteran folklorist, offers an engaging telling of Cinderella that is popular in the mountain communities of New Mexico. There are some significant variations that add depth to the story, making it in many ways more interesting than the original...The English text, which is made full-bodied by its many details, appears with a Spanish translation. The impressive acrylic illustrations, done in a sturdy folk-art style, are thick with color and bright with humor.-Booklist

The telling, in both English and a charming colloquial Spanish, is crisp, lively and individual. It is well matched by the primitive, acrylic-on-art board paintings that blend vivid colors with strong lines to impel the movement of the story. The unique flavor of this retelling from the American Southwest makes this not only a good introduction to the teller's art, but also an engaging entr e into Hispanic culture.- School Library Journal

About the illustrators:

Cinco Puntos Press has long admired the work of Gloria Osuna Perez. In the spring of 1999, we asked Gloria to do the paintings for Little Gold Star. We felt this wonderful cuento and her work were a perfect match. Gloria eagerly agreed to the project, but said that she would have to take it one day at a time. She had been battling ovarian cancer for three years-she didn't want to sign a contract. She sketched out the fifteen scenes from the book and began the paintings. She was able to complete three paintings before her condition worsened.

Gloria's 26-year-old daughter Lucia, who is also an artist, came from Dallas to care for her mother. Gloria was weak and could not do any more work on the paintings. Lucia reported that, for Gloria, one of the most painful things about being bed-ridden was that she could not paint. About two weeks before she died, Gloria called us up and told us that she thought Lucia could finish the paintings. While Lucia was taking care of her, Gloria talked to her about the colors she was using and what she wanted for each of the scenes she had sketched out. After her mother died, Lucia painted the twelve remaining scenes, always with her eye on the work her mom had begun, always remembering her mother's words. The re

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0938317490
• ISBN13: 9780938317494
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 10.3" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

A Great version of Cinderella

This is a very interesting version of Cinderella and I really like the fact that it is a truly bilingual book. Great for elementary school libraries.

A Cultural Wonder

Marta C.Valdez-Menchaca; Grover J. Whitehurst. ?Accelerating Language Development through Picture Book Reading: a Systematic Extension to Mexican Day Care. Developmental Psychology, 28.6(1992):1106 Hayes, Joe. Estrellita de Oro Little Gold Star. Illus. El Paso Texas: Cinco Puntos Press, 2000A Cultural Wonder Gold Star is a picture book that takes the classic tale of Cinderella and adds the Mexican heritage to it. Arcìa is the young heroin of the story. She begs her father to marry her neighbor, Margarita because Margarita is so nice to her. Finally the father agrees and marries her. Margarita turns out to be a bad person who only cares for her two daughters. Arcìa?s father buys all the girls a sheep so that they can raise and take care of them so that later they can shear and sell them. Each girl takes her sheep to bathe at a river where they meet a hawk. Arcìa is nice to the hawk and receives a gold star on her head but the other two sisters are mean to the hawk. One gets a donkey ear while the other gets a greenhorn. When it is time for the ball the sisters cover their obscenities and go. Since Arcìa doesn?t have any shoes or nice clothes, she goes and watches from a window. As in most Cinderella tales, the Prince goes on a hunt, but this prince goes on a hunt for the girl with the golden star. Arcìa marries the prince, and they live happily ever after. Joe Hayes retells the classic story of Cinderella with a Mexican her flair. On the last page of the book Hayes tells us that Cinderella was very popular in the mountain communities of New Mexico. This version, he says, retains most of the traditional details. This includes the golden star on the forehead. Hayes says that the symbolic reward of the golden star on the forehead appears almost in every episode, but the star is more central in his tale. Also in most traditional versions, a fish takes the wool, the sheep is slaughtered and his intestines are stolen. Hayes says that these details where a bit too gruesome for a picture book. The blessed virgin (the fairy godmother) who usually guides the girl does not appear in Hayes?s story. He says that he based his story on a plot form that doesn?t require her intervention. This book combines the Mexican culture and a classic fairy tale. The wonderful illustrations add life to the story. Mother and daughter painted the story illustrations. Gloria Osuna Perez did the first three pages because she was sick with ovarian cancer. Her daughter, Lucia Angela Perez, did the last twelve illustrations in honor of her mother. The oil painted illustrations show a part of Mexican culture. Being panted by the Perezs they put their heritage and soul into the illustrations. Any child will enjoy these wonderful drawings. I enjoyed this rendition of Cinderella. Arcìa didn?t need a godmother-like character to help her. She did it with her own will and personality. The book deals more with the human spirit and the power it has. Arcìa

A rare treasure. A dynamic duo; bi-langual and bi-cultural.

This children's classic is beautifully written and illustratedin both English and Spanish, which makes it truly unique andextraordinary. Many books are translated into other languages from English but this book was written in both lanuages and reflects the culture of the southwestern United States and Mexico. I am sharing this reading experience with my four year old granddaughter. I highly recommend you share it with a child that you love.