John Steptoe (1950–1989)

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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! show less

This book captured my attention the whole time with the narratives, dialogue, and illustrations. The language used to describe the setting painted a very detailed picture in the reader’s minds. The author never specified which part of Africa this was placed in, nor did he date the time this was taking place, but the words on the page brought the whole story alive, “A long time ago, in a certain place in Africa, a small village lay across a river and a half day’s journey from a city show more where a great king lived…Nyasha kept a small plot of land, on which she grew millet, sunflowers, yams, and vegetables.” Another thing I enjoyed about this book was the character’s thoughts because it highlighted certain aspects of who they are as a person, making them more realistic and believable. The language used between the characters’ dialogues are appropriate for children who may experience the same sort of encounters with their siblings as they feel the need to compete with them, “ ‘ Because everyone talks about how kind you are, and they praise everything you do,’ Manyara replied, ‘I’m certain that Father loves you best”. The illustrations that are displayed on the page accurately portray the beautiful parts of Africa such as their clothing, the animals (like the birds and snakes), and the jungle that surrounds them. These accentuate the beautiful cultural parts of Africa that not many students will be able to see or experience for themselves in their lives. I really appreciate the depth and artwork that the illustrator went through to create such vibrant and colorful aspects to enhance the text. The main idea of the book is to live an honest, kind, and morally upright life even if you think no one is watching, because pretending just to get ahead of people will not bring you happiness. show less

I remember enjoying this book as a child. It was such a fantastic tale with good lessons in it, and the artwork is absolutely gorgeous. We need more books like this. Thinking about this book made me so nostalgic that I ordered a copy for myself to read again some 20 years later. Absolutely fantastic book, would recommend, A+++