The Rough-Face Girl

Title: The Rough-Face Girl
Author: Rafe Martin
Illustrator: David Shannon
Genre: Traditional Literature
Awards: Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee (1993-1994)
Grade Level: PK - 3

A retelling of the Algonquin Indian (Mi'kmaq) Cinderella, there was once a great Invisible Being that many women wanted to marry, but only the one that had seen him and passed his sister's test could. In the village, there was a poor man with three daughters. The two older daughters were proud and cold-hearted. They forced their younger sister to tend to the fire which caused her skin to be burnt, scarred, and ugly which they nicknamed Rough-Face Girl. Going out in new clothes, the two older sisters tried to marry the Invisible Being, but they failed to answer the Invisible Being's sister correctly. The Rough-Face Girl did not have nice clothes and did not look pretty, but she had seen the Invisible Being in nature. The Invisible Being's sister looked past the Rough-Face Girl's scars and saw her beautiful, kind heart. The girl was able to correctly answer the questions and met with the Invisible Being. She was given new clothes and when she bathed in the lake, her body became as beautiful as her heart. She married the Invisible Being and lived a great life with him. This story shares many characteristics that make it similar to the well-known Cinderella story, but it has elements that make it unique to the Algonquin culture. Used in the Native American unit, students can learn about their clothing, shelter, and their value for nature. In the traditional literature unit, students can compare and contrast different versions of Cinderella. 


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