The Legend of the Poinsettia

Source: dePaola, Tomie. The Legend of the Poinsettia. New York: Putnam's Sons, 1994.

Summary: Lucida's mother falls ill before she can finish the blanket she is making to cover the baby Jesus figure for the church's Christmas procession. Lucida tries to help finish the blanket, but winds up tangling the threads hopelessly. Distressed that she won't have anything to give to the baby Jesus, she is reassured by an old woman that the important thing is that the gift comes from her heart. Lucida picks a bouquet of weeds to present, but in the church, they become topped by red "stars." When she leaves the church, all the weeds have red stars, turning them into poinsettias.

Cultural origins: Mexican. The story includes an author's note describing this heritage, and the story includes several Spanish phrases.

Audience: 1st - 3rd grade. I would most likely tell this story at Christmastime to a Sunday school audience.

Adaptation notes: In telling this story, I would like to have a poinsettia handy to serve as an introduction to the story and also as a visual when the red stars appear. I might also pair this story with the song "The Little Drummer Boy," since they share thematic elements.