The Life of a Cockroach

Martina the Beautiful Coackroach
Retold by Carmen Agra Deedy
Illustrated by Michael Austin

Published by Peachtree Publishers
Copyright 2007
33 Pages

Traditional Literature: A Cuban Folktale

 

How can you not be curious about this book after reading the title? I chose this book out of pure interest as to how a cockroach could be beautiful. Seeing as I am terrified of cockroaches, I was extremely skeptical of the author’s decision to write about a pretty little cockroach. I also chose the book because it is labeled as a Cuban folktale. I love Spanish culture, and I thought that this book might incorporate some Spanish principles into it, and to my delight it did. The story is about a 21 year old girl cockroach named Martina Josefina Catalina Cucaracha. Martina (for short) was getting ready to find herself a suitable mate. This would be an easy task for Martina because she was the most beautiful cockroach in all of the land. Her grandmother knew that Martina would have no problem finding a mate so she wanted to make sure that Martina got the best of the best to be her husband. Martina’s grandmother gave her some advice for when she met all of the men that would come in search of a wife. She said to pour coffee on their feet to get a reaction out of them, and that this reaction would indicate how they would respond when things got tough during their marriage. Martina took her grandmothers advice and put it to practical use. The rooster, the pig, and the lizard all failed the test so Martina became quite discouraged. Then to her surprise, her grandmother turned her attention to a cute mouse outside their home. He wound up being the right mate for Martina, and he passed the coffee test with flying colors.

The illustrations in this book are said to be done in acrylic on Strathmore Series 500 illustration board. I was amazed that these photos were acrylic. From my own judgment, I was sure that they must have been done in digital media. The illustrations take up double pages with a mix of most formal and very informal. The pictures are very detailed. In one of the pictures you can notice the tiny hairs on the leg of a man. The end paper is glued in secure with a beautiful picture following on the frontis and title page as well.

The teacher could use this book in a classroom to talk about the importance of elders, and the reasons we should listen to them. The students could write about something that they may have learned from a grandparent or other elder in their life. The teacher could also use this book in a vocabulary lesson. The teacher could use this book to teach the students a small amount of Spanish. In a class that contains a lot of Spanish speaking students, the teacher could use this book to encourage the students who normally only hear English in the classroom.