Martina the Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Agra Deedy

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Agra Deedy

The time has arrived for Martina to begin searching for a husband. Being the most beautiful cockroach around, she won't have trouble finding a husband, but her grandmother warns her that she must work hard to find the RIGHT one. Taking her advice, Martina tests the suitors with a simple cup of coffee, and after a few fails, she finds her true love.

Deedy, C.A. (2007). Martina the beautiful cockroach. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree.

#10: Martina the Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Agra Deedy

1. Visual Element
1. Texture
1. From the flowers, to the scaley lizard, and to the tattered hat of the mouse, the textures in the graphics “enhance the realistic quality of the illustrations,” as stated in the textbook. This realistic quality makes the reader somewhat forget that the characters of bugs and creatures and transforms them into people of Cuba. The advice from the grandmother is enhanced by these realistic illustrations because then the reader is more willing to accept that the coffee test is a believable tradition in Cuba.
2. Evaluative Criteria
1. Setting
1. As stated in the text, this story's setting is an “integral element for the story’s action and character development.” The overall setting is Cuba, which drives the concept of family and tradition in the story. Without Cuba, there aren’t Cuban grandmothers who can teach valuable lessons in life. more symbolically, the lamp post light that Martina and her family lives in could symbolize the truth, the truth that her grandmother was right and the place where Martina finds her true love, both things that drive the plot. But, I also believe that this story transcends the setting because the theme is so universal: true love should be tested to ensure it is really true love.