Brave Martha and the Dragon: A Tale of Provence

by Susan L. Roth

Once upon a time a terrible dragon came to the small French village of Tarascon. It gobbled up the farm animals and frightened the mayor. Then a young stranger named Martha came to town. She was both strong and brave--but was she mighty enough to tame the dragon? Based on an ancient legend, this lively tale celebrates Saint Martha's heroic deed with bright and colorful collage art.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Susan L. Roth creates unique mixed-media collage illustrations that have appeared in numerous award-winning children’s books, many of which she also wrote. Her book, Listen to the Wind, spent a year on the New York Times best seller list. The Mangrove Tree, which was released in 2011 and addressed Dr. Gordon Sato's mangrove tree-planting project, was the winner of Jane Addams Children's Book Award. Roth lives in New York.

Reviews

[Sarah Gross]

Title: Brave Martha and the Dragon
Author: Susan L. Roth
Illustrator:
Genre: Legend
Theme(s): community, humble, hero, good vs. evil
Opening line/sentence: “Along the banks of the Rhone River in the gentle hills of Provence, there is an ancient little village called Tarascon.”
Brief Book Summary: When animals from the village start to go missing, people from the village agree to keep watch overnight to see who is eating their animals. One night a dragon is sighted by someone on watch, who advises the people of the village to lock up all of their animals so they are not eaten. A young girl comes to the village one day, and after hearing about the dragon, she sneaks out of a house late at night to defeat and lock up the dragon. She tells everyone she doesn’t know how the dragon was defeated, but a child of the village saw her defeat the dragon and tells the village of her good deed.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Children’s Literature - Mary Quattlebaum
Here's a fire-breathing rascal wreaking havoc in Susan Roth's Brave Martha and the Dragon. Happily, a young, curly-haired stranger strolls into Tarascon and tumbles the green fellow into the dungeon. Roth's striking collage art incorporates fabric actually worn by the townspeople, who celebrate this ancient Provental legend with parades and revelry each year.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
School Library Journal
K-Gr 3Every year in the French village of Tarascon, the people celebrate the bravery of a modest stranger who saved the town from "...a fiery dragon with smoldering eyes and smoke puffing from his nostrils." Roth relates the medieval tale that inspired the festival. Each night, despite the efforts of a variety of watchmen, farm animals disappear. Then the baker's wife fears that her son, Naughty Bernard, is gone as well, but he emerges from a chestnut tree minus the seat of his pants. He confirms that their thief is a dragon. A barefoot girl then comes to town and Bernard's family invites her to stay with them. That night Naughty Bernard follows her and spies on her while she fights the dragon. The next morning, Martha does not want to take credit for her bravery, but Bernard tells the townspeople all about the confrontation. Roth illustrates the story with her signature cut-paper collages. When the beast is finally revealed in all his ferocity, his body spreads over three wordless pages, with scales layered so convincingly that children will reach to lift them. Additions of Provenal floral fabrics give the artwork a timeless flavor appropriate to a folktale. The book's design is a perfect match for the pacing of the text. Pair this title with favorite dragon tales or with stories of incredible female valor. It would also prove interesting in a unit on "hidden" heroes or miracle workers in disguise. Vintage Roth.Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Review #1 notes “Roth’s striking collage art incorporates fabric actually worn by the townspeople,” which I hadn’t taken into consideration before. The illustrations fascinated me, but I hadn’t even thought about the fabric being of significance to the townspeople. It also says that this legend is still celebrated with parades and revelry each year, noting the importance of the story behind this book.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This book has awesome illustrations made up of cut up pieces of fabric. Its plot tells of the fight between good and evil when a dragon enters a village and eats all of the animals. He is not defeated by the biggest or strongest person of the village, but by a brave visitor.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book could be used as a read-aloud in an elementary classroom (grades K-2). Since it talks about good vs. evil, children could predict who they think will defeat the dragon, and the teacher can point out that the hero doesn’t have to be the biggest or strongest person of the community. Children could rewrite common stories where the hero is the biggest or strongest person in the community to have an alternate ending that is a little less atypical.

[Dolly]

This is an interesting story that has an ancient history. Retold with a simple narrative and textured, collage illustrations, this is a fun story to read aloud. The author's note at the end of the story provides fascinating details about the historical background of the story. We enjoyed reading this story together.

[Bmankiewicz]

Inscribed: "for my dear father on your birthday, February 3,1999, with loving memories of our times in France--remember the carving of this story in the St. Trophine church in Arles? And le Bon roi Rene spent a lot of time in Tarascon, too! From Yolande, with love". Paper cover and book intact.

[Mills College Library]

Picture R845b 1996