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Dona Flor is larger than life. Flor’s mother sang to her corn plants and they “grew as tall as trees”; and “when she sang to her baby… Flor grew and grew too.” Large for her age, Flor continues to grow, eventually towering over her village. But she is as big-hearted as her body.
At first the children are intimidated and laugh at the impossibly tall woman, but they soon grow used to their generous neighbor who is always willing to help them out. Flor wakes the village up every morning as she pats tortillas into shape for their morning meal. There are always extras, convenient for roofs; the children float on others, making tortilla rafts. There is no end to Flor’s creativity; even her sunflowers can be used for umbrellas.
Hearing the ferocious growls of a huge gato, a mountain lion, the villagers run in a panic to Flor. What is this sound? What shall they do? She who can tame even the roaring wind can surely save them from this new threat. Flor searches for the fierce creature but cannot find him anywhere. Afraid to come out, the villagers cower in their homes.
Flor can speak any language, including that of the animals. At a loss for the source of this new threat to her happy village, Flor turns to her animal friends. When she asks for their assistance, the animals tell her: “Go quietly to the tallest mesa.” There Flor discovers the source of this fearsome animal’s noise: a tiny but very clever puma!
This vivid and imaginative tale is set in the American Southwest, rich with history and folklore. The illustrations, a combination of color washes, etching and colored and litho pencils, give Dona Flor’s world a brilliant intensity as tiny villagers follow their benefactor around. A child’s imagination and the natural world: Dona Flor bridges the two, a giant lady with a heart to match.
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Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart