Adelita

Written and Illustrated by Tomie de Paola

There is no glass slipper or pumpkin coach in this story but Cinderella fans are sure to enjoy this original fairy tale with a Mexican twist.

Adelita’s mother died when she was born. Consequently her father Francisco and an intimate family friend, Esperanza, raised her. Years later her father remarried and Adelita gained a stepmother, Doña Micaela de la Fortuna,

and two step sisters, Valentina and Dulce. Then, after Fransisco’s sudden death Adelita was subjected to the cruelty of her stepmother and two stepsisters who even forced Esperanza to leave the home.

Later, Javier, a childhood friend of Adelita’s, is set to have a big fiesta and rumor has it he is in search of a wife. Unfortunately, Adelita is unable to attend as per her stepmother’s rule. Having anticipated this, Esperanza showed up at Adelita’s house.

Adelita was worried she had nothing to wear but to her surprise Esperanza knew Adelita’s mother had a trunk and she knew where to find the key. Together they fetched a beautiful white old-fashioned dress and a reboso (shawl) from the trunk. Adelita attends the fiesta but abruptly departs without having disclosed her identity.

In the end, Javier searches the town for the maiden he had fallen in love with at the fiesta. Ultimately, Adelita is recognized by her own efforts and  they marry and live happily ever after.

Beyond the charming legends and tales, de Paola’s assortment of cultural selection is very diverse. Conveniently, he includes a glossary and pronunciation key at the end of his books when there are words of another language. His anthology includes Italian, Mexican, and Native American folklore and his purposeful color coordination is splendid. For example, Adelita, is a Mexican-American Cinderella tale that boasts brilliantly rich colors, particularly of the warm palette like red, yellow and orange. This intentional harmonization of hues gives de Paola’s illustrations a unique style and cultural authenticity.


Reader Response Questions

1. Does this story remind you of a story you have heard before?

2. Choose a color for this book and explain why it fits the story.

3. If you were the author how would you change the story?

Motivational Activities

1. The teacher can have the students perform a readers theater with both Cinderella and Adelita scripts. This would be an effective activity to include Spanish speaking English language learners and raise awareness about the difficulties of learning a new language. Considering this book is embedded with Spanish terminology the children would engage in purposeful collaboration.

 

2. The teacher can create groups of two and assign each couple with a Spanish speaking country. The students can conduct research on their given country and create a visual presentation to share with the class. Some items for research may include the countries' flag, clothing, type of food, literature and native colors.

                                   http://www.tomie.com/


Tomie de Paola is an author and an illustrator who, for decades has greatly influenced children’s literature. He has contributed to over 200 books and is mostly known for his picture books. With a strong focus on retelling folktales and legends de Paola incorporates artistic techniques to engage young readers.

http://www.springboardstl.org/resources/cinderellastories/mexico.htm

DePaola, T. (2002). Adelita: a Mexican Cinderella story. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.