Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale

Description: Martina is a young cockroach who doesnt know coffee beans about love and marriage. Thats where her Cuban family comes in. While some of the Cucarachas offer her gifts to make her more attractive, only her grandmother gives her something really useful: some shocking advice. Full color.

Brief description: Michael Austin is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, a creative director, and the illustrator of several books. He lives in Georgia.

Review Quotes: "Deedy's text sparkles with sly humor. . . The stunning acrylic illustrations are full of color, light, and humor. . . This wonderful book will delight children." --School Library Journal

"Austin's cockroach dwelling is a desirable piece of real estate, with its stairs made of gum wrappers, its wrought-plastic comb railing, and its exclusive mid-Havana address (it's a lamppost). A friendly sprinkling of Spanish words, warmly drawn relationships and a lot of puns all widen the audience for this spirited story." --Publishers Weekly

"Lively and funny. . . Fun to compare with other versions, this telling has magic all its own." --Kirkus Reviews

"Deedy's masterful retelling of this Latino folktale has a rollicking voice imbued with sly tongue-in-cheek humor. The acrylic illustrations, in a hyper-realistic style reminiscent of a softer William Joyce, are rendered in a vivid tropical palette. Shifting perspectives and points of view add vitality to the compositions, and facial expressions reveal both emotions and character traits. A scattering of Spanish words adds zest to this fine read-aloud." --Booklist