Niña Bonita by Ana Maria Machado; Rosana Faría (Illustrator)
Ana Maria Machado has published over 100 books for children and adults, which have collectively been translated into many languages and have sold close to 8 million copies worldwide. She has also translated English-language children’s classics, including Alice and Wonderland and Peter Pan, into Portuguese. She is considered one of the most important children’s book authors in Brazil and has won many awards, including Brazil’s National Book Award for Contributions in Literature and the Hans Christian Anderson Award for Writing, the highest international honor given to a children’s book author. Her other children’s books published in Spanish and English include Bisa Bea, Bisa Bel (Me in the Middle), Se busca lobo (Wolf Wanted), and ¡Menuda fiesta! (What a Party!). She lives with her family in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Rosana Faría lives and 
works in Caracas, Venezuela. In addition to illustrating children’s books, she has worked as a graphic designer, illustrator, cartoonist, as well as an art advisor at Editorial Cadena Capriles, a Venezuelan educational publisher. She started illustrating children’s books herself after being encouraged to by friend. Her illustrations in Niña Bonita earned honorable mention in the Norma Concours for Picture Book Illustration. She also illustrated El libro negro de los colores (The Black Book of Colors) a New York Times Book Review choice for one of the best illustrated picture books of 2008.
Ana Maria Machado, the author of Niña Bonita, lives and works in Brazil. While Brazil is the largest country in Latin America, it is often talked about less than many others because the people there speak Portuguese. Consider using Niña Bonita as an opportunity to talk about Brazil and the people who live there, especially Black Brazilians like the girl in the story. Below you will find some quick facts about the country and links to learn more.
| Official Country Name | Capital | Official Language |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Republic of Brazil | Brasilia | Portuguese |
| Fun Facts | ||
|
||
Learn more about Brazil with these links to share with your students:
Check out the following for information about Afro-Brazilians you can add to your lessons:
Family is very important in Brazilian culture, as well as Latinx culture overall. The term "family" includes not just only the parents and children, but also extended family like grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Consider discussing the family relationships of your students or the family relationships of other fictional characters they are familiar with. Below are the English, Spanish, and Portuguese words for various family members. Some appear in Niña Bonita, while others go beyond the text.
| English | Spanish | Portuguese |
|---|---|---|
|
Parents Father Dad Mother Mom |
Padres Padre Papá Madre Mamá |
Pais Pai Papai Mãe Mamãe |
|
Children Son Daughter |
Children Son Daughter |
Filhos Filho Filha |
|
Siblings Brother Sister |
Hermanos Hermanos Hermanas |
Irmãos Irmão Irmã |
|
Cousins Cousin (male) Cousin (female) |
Primos Primo Prima |
Primos Primo Prima |
|
Parents' siblings Uncle Aunt |
Hermanos de los padres Tío Tía |
Irmãos dos pais Tio Tia |
|
Grandparents Grandpa Grandma |
Abuelos Abuelo Abuela |
Avós Vovô Avó |
|
Great-grandparents Great-grandfather Great-grandmother |
Bisabuelos Bisabuelo Bisabuela |
Bisavós Bisavô Bisavó |
|
Others Relatives Distant relatives |
Otros Parientes Parientes lejanos |
Outros Parentes Parentes distantes |
Check out WordReference to look up additional words for different family members in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.
Niña Bonita has many words that may be new to your students. Here you will find some key words and phrases from the book in Spanish and English, as well as in Portuguese from the original version of the text. Try having students use this vocabulary to retell the story. You can use the vocabulary alone or add visuals!
| Spanish | English | Portuguese |
|---|---|---|
| Niña bonita | Pretty girl | Menina bonita |
|
Conejo blanco |
White rabbit | Coelho branco |
| Negrita | Dark-skinned/black | Pretinha |
| Secreto | Secret | Segredo |
| De chiquita | As a little kid | Pequenina |
| Caer encima un frasco de tinta negra | Fall on top of a bottle of black ink | Cair na uma lata de tinta preta |
| Aguacero | Downpour | Chuva |
| Tomar café negro | Drink black coffee | Tomar café preto |
| Comer uvas negras | Eat black grapes/jaboticaba berries | Comer jabuticaba |
| Mulata | A woman of mixed European and African ancestry, often having lighter skin | Mulata |
| Encantos de | Beauty or loveliness of | Artesde |
| Abuela | Grandma | Avó |
| Casarse | To get married | Casar |
| Tener un montón de hijos | Have a mountain of children | Tiveram uma ninhada de filhotes |
| Madrina | Godmother | Madrinha |
Check out WordReference to look up additional words from the book in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.
Use the following resources to learn more about race and ethnicity in Brazil and Latin America as a whole.
Visit the following Google Arts and Culture page to view many collections curated in collaboration with Brazilian institutions. The collections focus on art, history, and biographies of historical and contemporary individuals.
Use the following resources to learn more about about the importance of coffee in Brazil and how it is produced there, past and present.
Summary
Enchanted by a young girl's black skin, a white rabbit determines to find a way to have children as beautiful and black as she is.
Age and Grade Level
Prevalent Themes
"Niña bonita, niña bonita, ¿cuál es tu secreto para ser tan negrita?"
English translation: Pretty girl, pretty girl, what is your secret for having such dark skin?
© The Ohio State University - University Libraries
1858 Neil Avenue Mall, Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: (614) 292-OSUL (6785) | Fax: (614) 292-9101
Request an alternate format of this page | Accessibility | Privacy Policy
For all other requests, click Ask Us.