Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Big Heart

Mora, Pat. 2005. DONA FLOR: A TALL TALE ABOUT A GIANT WOMAN WITH A GREAT BIG HEART. Ill. by Raul Colon. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
ISBN 0375823379

*Plot Summary

In this tall tale, the giant Flor attempts to protect her friends, but everyone is surprised to discover the source of the fear in the village.

*Critical Analysis

In this award winning book, Pat Mora tells the story of Dona Flor, a giant woman who communicates with people and animals. Flora is so large that her tortillas can double as rafts, and the sunflowers from her garden are used as umbrellas. She represents goodness and helpfulness. Although some villagers laugh at her because she is so big, they soon turn to her for help, and Dona Flor gladly obliges them. Thereafter, the people come to love and respect her. Her character is revealed through narration and her actions in the story.

The plot of the story moves along quickly. Readers can easily identify the climax and the satisfying resolution. DONA FLOR is set in an undetermined time and place; however, the details tell readers that she lives near a town in a mountainous region with many animals and a river. Adding to the setting is Flor’s relationship with all her neighbors – people, animals, clouds, and stars.

Themes of the book include friendship, love of nature, and misconceptions. Mora’s style lends itself to reading aloud. She incorporates Spanish words and phrases into the narrative and dialogue. Onomatopoeia and personification are also used in the story: “SMACK! The sound echoed and woke the grumpy wind, who stormed up and down the hills a-grumblin’ and a-growlin’.” Also adding to the style of the tale is the motif of magic. Flor speaks to and understand animals, reads an encyclopedia in five minutes, and creates a riverbed with her thumb.

Raul Colon’s Pura Belpre Award winning illustrations add to the effectiveness of the story. Using “an intriguing combination of watercolor washes, etching, and colored and litho pencils,” Colon creates scenes which compliment the text. Page after page of illustrations convey the magic of the story and the kindness of Dona Flor. For example, the illustration showing Flor carry coyotes and rabbits after an exhausting search for what they believe to be a mountain lion. Her arms cradle the tiny animals as she carries them home. The subdued colors and various shades of blue add to the serene, peaceful feeling that the character Dona Flor represents. Additionally, the illustrations serve to extend the narration of the story and the readers’ understanding of Flor by showing the movements and activities of a giant woman.

Many cultural markers are present in the text and the illustrations. Flor’s name and the use of Spanish language are examples in the text. In Colon’s illustrations, readers see the skin color and hair color of Flor and her neighbors. Also, the style of dress and architecture of the buildings in the story are consistent with the culture represented.

*Response

Although I had walked past this book many times, I had not bothered to read it until this module. I love the book TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY which is also a creation of Mora and Colon. I think this book will also be a crowd pleaser. It is a simple, yet magical story that I think children will enjoy. I believe that the illustrations will really draw students into the story.

*Review Excerpts

"Mora strengthens her economical, poetic text with vivid, fanciful touches: the villagers use Flor's colossal homemade tortillas as roofs, for example. Colon's signature scratchboard art extends the whimsy and gentle humor in lovely scenes of the serene heroine sweet-talking the animals or plucking a star from the sky. A winning read-aloud, particularly for children who can recognize the intermittent Spanish phrases."
Booklist

"With Spanish words peppered throughout, this is a welcome entry to the canon that includes other heroines like Sally Ann Thunder and Thunder Rose."
School Library Journal

*Connections

-Read other folktales, especially those with a woman as the protagonist.
-Conduct research about the author Pat Mora. Discuss why she may have chosen to retell this story.
-Read TOMAS AND THE LIBRARY LADY. How are the books different? How are they similar?
-Discuss the illustrations. Why do you think these illustrations won an award? How would the story be different without the illustrations?
-Write a journal entry about a time you have mistaken a minor situation for something more serious, like Flor and her neighbors do in the story.