CLAS Book Box K-12 Guide 4: Portuguese and Brazil in PictureBooks

Lesson Plan Resources

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Niña Bonita by Ana Maria Machado; Rosana Faría (Illustrator)

Call Number: PQ9698.23.A182 M4518 2020  
ISBN: 9788493486341
Publication Date: 2020

Read Aloud

Author and Illustrator Information

Ana Maria MarchadoAna 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.

Cultural Context

 

Brazil on the Globe

 

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
  • Brazil is the fifth-largest country in the world.
  • Brazil has the greatest variety of animals of any country in the world.
  • Some of the best soccer players come from Brazil.

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.

Learn More About Brazilian History and Culture

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.

Book Overview

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

  • Ages 4-9
  • Grades PreK-3

Prevalent Themes

  • Black is Beautiful
  • Family Heritage
  • Imagination & Exploring Possibilities

Key Quote

"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?