John Steptoe (1950–1989)
Author of Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale
About the Author
John Steptoe was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 14, 1950. He attended the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan. He was an author and illustrator of children's books. His first book, Stevie, was published in 1969. During his lifetime, he illustrated 15 more books, 9 of which he also show more wrote. The Story of Jumping Mouse and Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters were named Caldecott honor books. Mother Crocodile and Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters received the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration. He died of AIDS on August 28, 1989 at the age of 38. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: johnsteptoe.com
Works by John Steptoe
Associated Works
The 20th-Century Children's Book Treasury: Picture Books and Stories to Read Aloud (1998) — Author — 1,585 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1950-09-04
- Date of death
- 1989-08-28
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Place of death
- New York, New York, USA
- Cause of death
- AIDS
- Places of residence
- New York, New York, USA
- Education
- High School of Art and Design
Vermont Academy - Occupations
- children's book author
- Relationships
- Steptoe, Javaka (son)
Steptoe, Bweela (daughter) - Awards and honors
- Caldecott Medals
Coretta Scott King Awards
Members
Reviews
Summary
This fairytale, which is a twist on Cinderella, is about two sisters Manyara and Nyasha. Nyasha is humble and kind to all around her, while Manyara is mean and more self centered. They two sisters are competing to marry the king. Through the journey they are faced with different challenges, and each handles them in their own way, but only one leads to happiness with the king.
Review
This story is a beautiful tale and has wonderful illustrations. It demonstrates the importance of kindness to others around you. Through the girls' reactions to the same situations it shows how you approach a situation makes a difference.
This would be a great book to study when looking at different cultures. This book, written around African culture, would be a great discussion on symbolism, character traits, as well as comparing and contrasting texts across cultures.… (more)
This fairytale, which is a twist on Cinderella, is about two sisters Manyara and Nyasha. Nyasha is humble and kind to all around her, while Manyara is mean and more self centered. They two sisters are competing to marry the king. Through the journey they are faced with different challenges, and each handles them in their own way, but only one leads to happiness with the king.
Review
This story is a beautiful tale and has wonderful illustrations. It demonstrates the importance of kindness to others around you. Through the girls' reactions to the same situations it shows how you approach a situation makes a difference.
This would be a great book to study when looking at different cultures. This book, written around African culture, would be a great discussion on symbolism, character traits, as well as comparing and contrasting texts across cultures.… (more)
Alternate title: Morality for Beautiful Girls (which I think is a actually a McCall-Smith title)
Independent Reading Level: Grade 5
Honors/Awards: Caldecott Honor Book
Honors/Awards: Caldecott Honor Book
Lists
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 14
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 5,978
- Popularity
- #4,127
- Rating
- 4.2
- Reviews
- 287
- ISBNs
- 101
- Languages
- 3
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration
Caledcott Honor
Reading Rainbow Book
Boston Globe-Horn Book