Martina the Beautiful Cockroach is a story based on a Cuban folklore. Martina is a beautiful cockroach who lives in a street lamp with her family. Since she turned 21 days old, it was time for her to give her “leg” in marriage. Because she was so beautiful, she had many suitors competing for her. Everyone in the family had advice for her to help her choose a husband. But, it was her grandmother’s surprising advice that proves to be the most useful. Her grandmother said to give each suitor the “coffee test”. This meant that Martina should spill coffee on the suitor and see how he reacts when angry. This test saved her several times from choosing the wrong husband. She eventually met a potential husband, a mouse with poor eyesight. To her surprise, he performed the “coffee test” on her first. He, too, had a Cuban grandmother. They knew this would be the perfect union. The title of this book is an oxymoron. How could a cockroach be beautiful? The vividly colored full-page illustrations make the cockroach and the other creatures actually appear beautiful. The warm hue of the illustrations give you a cozy and outdoor feeling. The illustrations give the characters a strong personality through their facial expressions and their exaggerated gestures. Throughout the book, Spanish words are used to complete the Cuban setting. The clever phrases used throughout the book give the book a whimsical mood. These phrases play on common ideas that relate to the different characters. For example, “the cockroach is going to give her leg in marriage” and “the pig is quite a ham” illustrate this concept. There are two important lessons that can be learned from this story. One is that grandmothers can be very wise. The other lesson is that it does not matter what you look like on the outside, it’s what is on the inside that counts. I would recommend “The Library Dragon” by the same author Carmen Agra Deedy.
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