SOLVED. Children's book about lady and the sea. [s]

[Alma]

I remember reading this in the 90's. I think it's about a lady who went swimming and her hair soaked up the sea. Either that or she cried and filled up the sea. Possibly both. I tried doing a search in google, but nothing came up. Any help would be appreciated.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Alma, while I don't know what your book is, there is at least one folk tale/fairy tale/myth with a single woman filling the sea with her tears. Unfortunately, it's been at least 20 or more years since I read that particular story, so I can't remember if it was a goddess or what. And it might have been even more than 20 years. I lived in several foreign countries growing up (for my Dad's work) and read a LOT of mythology, fairy tales specific to the country we were living in and folk tales, again, specific to whichever country we were then living in.

So, I'm just going to encourage you to hang in there, and if no one else IDs it right away, bump your thread up every 30 to 90 days.

[Tab]

Was this a picture book or chapter book?
If picture book, can you describe the illustrations?
Anything about the cover?
Part of a series?

[Alma]

It was definitely a picture book. I remember the lady was brown skinned and her hair was super long and black and wavy. I remember there being fish in her hair. I think the length of her hair was why it soaked up all the water.

[Alma]

I don't think it was part of a series.

[Alma]

I thought for a while that I had seen it on Reading Rainbow and then went to the library to read it, but when I looked through the list of books for reading rainbow, none of them really matched.

[Kris]

Alma, was she a mermaid?

Can you describe her personality - sad, lonely, serene, happy, mischievous, spiteful, etc.?

Did she interact with animals or people - in a positive or negative way?

[Alma]

I don't remember her actually interacting with anybody. I keep getting the impression of sadness but I don't know if that's how it started or if she was sad she had absorbed the sea i to her hair.

[Alma]

Rereading the question, no. She wasn't a mermaid. From what I remember she was just a lady with really long hair. I remember she wore a dress. I don't know really how to describe other than a moo moo. It was like the house dresses older Mexican ladies wear. I remember it reminded me of my grandma's dresses.

[Alma]

I was reading a newer thread and one of the suggestions on that thread is the book. It's called The Woman Who Outshone the Sun.

[Alma]

Do I mark it as solved or is that something only the moderators are allowed to do?

[Kris]

Alma, glad you found your book. I'm guessing it's Woman Who Outshone the Sun / La mujer que brillaba aún más que el sol by Alejandro Cruz Martinez. (There are a number of similar entries on Goodreads. This one has a cover image.)

Thanks for asking. The original poster (you) or any moderator can mark a request as Solved by clicking "edit" beside the topic header. This link only appears on the desktop, not mobile, version of the website.

[Alma]

Oh. I see now. Thanks. That is the right one. I didn't realize there was more than one version, although that does make sense being based on folk tale.