Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters

I have this book in my home library, but I haven't read it in a couple of years. It is just as beautiful as I remember. This story is an African version of the traditional story; Cinderella. Mufaro's daughter's, Manyara and Nyasha are both beautiful. However, Manyara is selfish and inconsiderate while Nyasha is kind and thoughtful. The king decides to take a wife and invites all the beautiful and worthy daughters to come before him. Manyara leaves early to get there before her sister. She is unkind and dismissive to everyone she meets along the way. Nyasha, on the other hand, is kind and respectful to everyone she meets on the way. The illustrations of the people and animals are absolutely beautiful. This book is a winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration and a Caledcott Honor book. It would be great to use in a cross-cultural analysis of the "Cinderella" tale. Analyzing similarities and differences in plot, characters, themes, and settings would encourage students to think critically about why stories change across cultures and what those changes reveal about society's values.