BIBLIOGRAPHY
Martin, Rafe. 1992. THE ROUGH-FACE GIRL. Ill. By David Shannon. New York, NY. G. P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 0399218599.

PLOT SUMMARY
Based on a basic Cinderella theme, this is a folktale from the Algonquin Indian tribe. The story is takes place on the shores of Lake Ontario and comes from a line of oral storytelling tradition. The Rough-Face Girl is one of three sisters who want to marry the Invisible On who was described as great, rich, powerful, and handsome. The two older sisters force the younger sister to tend the fire, giving her the famed roughness of face, hair and hands. Their poor father gives all that he has for the two older ones to have necklaces and clothing to meet the great man. Yet, they are caught in their web of lying by his gatekeeping sister. When the Rough-Face girl asks for these gifts from her father, he has nothing more to give. So she makes the best of the situation, and goes to meet the Invisible One. The story ends somewhat abruptly, with the couple riding off in a canoe.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Character development is sparce in text but enhanced by Shannon’s illustrations. The illustrations are full page and color with simple narrow white borders, focusing on people. The portrayal of the Invisible One’s face in the sky and his body in the clouds seem out of place, as compared with the other drawings. Yet the Milky Way link to the Invisible One’s sled runners seems more in sync with the other images.
In the vein of traditional literature, the characters are good or bad, the setting is simple and straightforward, as in the explanation of the village, “Off from the other wigwams of this village stood one great huge wigwam.” Goodness prevails in the end as “they lived together in great gladness and were never parted.”

The sister of the Invisible One plays a very unembellished protector role and is responsible for screening the marriage applicants.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Kirkus starred (1992)
“An Algonquin Cinderella story, with accomplished but sometimes overliteral illustrations.”

“Martin's retelling is spare and understated, but never dry; the two sisters are richly comic figures, the climax and ending uncontrived yet magically romantic.”


Publishers Weekly (April 13, 1992)
“In places, though, he struggles with the paradox of illustrating the invisible--an eagle, tree, cloud and rainbow form the face of the Invisible Being in one disappointingly banal image.”

CONNECTIONS
This could be a tool when comparing versions of Cinderella stories.

As students begin to study cultural values, this story could introduce some specific to Native American Indians.

This story could also be a good discussion-starter for “do not judge people simply by the way they look.”