Publishing: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, New York, 1987
Description: Steptoe notes on the very first page that this tale was inspired by a folktale originally collected and published in 1895. The tale tells the story of two sisters, Manyara and Nyasha. Both are physically beautiful, but one is kind while the other is cruel. One day the king sends for both of the girls to choose one as his wife, and Mufaro is excited to send them. Manyara, hoping to reach the king first, leaves in the middle of the night. On her journey in the forest she encounters a hungry child and an old, wise, woman, and a poor man all of whom she scorns and ignores. Nyasha, Mufaro, and the wedding party they have gathered follow the next morning. Nyasha is kind to each of the people Manyara met in the forest. When she reaches the city she finds her sister screaming a sobbing about encountering a five-headed snake in the palace. Nyasha enters, however, and sees only the small snake from her garden. The snake reveals to her that he is the king, and that he was also the people in the forest. Nyasha’s kindness has pleased him and he takes her as his wife.
Programming: This lesson plan idea from Scholastic says it better than I ever could:
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/mufaros-beautiful-daughters-lesson-plan
They suggest focusing on the narrative as a folktale and discussing characteristics of that genre. There is also a tie-in to biology through the snake and the art project is to design a wedding invitation, which I think is a practical skill in understanding what information has to be there.
The Very Hungry Bookworm 