The Woman Who Outshone the Sun / La mujer que brillaba aún más que el sol

by Alejandro Cruz Martinez, Fernando Olivera (Illustrator), Rosalma Zubizarreta (Translator)

Overview

Bilingual English/Spanish. A legend of Lucia Zenteno, who is part of the oral history of the Zapotec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico.

When Lucia Zenteno walks into a mountain village in central Mexico, some villagers whisper that her long black hair blocks out the sun, and they are afraid. Others say her brilliant hair outshines the sun. Frightened, they banish Lucia from the village and watch in amazement as their precious river follows her, for it loves her and will not leave her. Never had the villagers imagined that their beautiful river would leave them, no matter what they did-and so the whole village sets out to find Lucia and beg for her forgiveness.

The legend of Lucia Zenteno is part of the oral history of the Zapotec Indians of Oaxaca, Mexico-a region of Mexico renowned for its rich cultural history with roots that go back many centuries before Columbus. Alejandro Cruz Martinez, the Zapotec poet who wrote down the original version of The Woman Who Outshone the Sun, later gave up his life in his struggle to help win back the water rights of the Zapotec people.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780892391264
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	02/01/2014
Edition description:	Bilingual Edition
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	633,276
Product dimensions:	7.78(w) x 7.38(h) x 0.13(d)
Language:	Spanish
Age Range:	5 - 10 Years

About the Author

Alejandro Martinez was a promising young Zapotec poet who spent many years collecting the oral traditions of his people, including the story of Lucia Zeneno. He published his own version of the story as a poem in 1986. Alejandro was killed in 1987 while organizing the Zapotec to regain their lost water rights.

Fernando Olivera is an internationally acclaimed painter who lives in Oaxaca, Mexico. He was fascinated with the story of Lucia Zenteno ever since he first heard it from his close friend Alejandro Cruz Martinez. His work has been shown internationally, in places like Mexico, El Salvador, and the US. His work is influenced by traditional Oaxacan ways of life, myths and legends, and political and social concerns.

Rosalma Zubizarreta is a bilingual teacher and translator living in San Francisco, California. Her brilliant Spanish translations have graced several Children's Book Press titles, including the award-winning Family Pictures, Uncle Nacho's Hat, and The Woman Who Outshone the Sun.

Editorial Reviews

"This original Hispanic folktale is skillfully told, and is solidly and colorfully steeped with imagery of earth and sky. Both the Spanish and English read gracefully, and the poetic use of language suits the story well for telling. An excellent discussion starter, dealing as it does with issues of the differences between people and respect for nature, the book has a natural place in multicultural and environmental units." — School Library Journal

"An excellent addition to any folklore collection; one of the handsomest yet of [Children's Book Press's] fine multicultural books." — Kirkus Reviews

"The story is beautifully told in each language with little impetus, if any, being lost in the translation." — Multicultural Review

"Surreal illustrations, calling to mind a stylistic mixture of William Joyce and Karen Barbour, highlight the richness of the folktale convention and perfectly capture a sense of place." — Publishers Weekly

"Powerfully illustrated by Fernando Olivera, whose work is reminiscent of the early 20th century Mexican artist José Clemente Orozco, principle and integrity flow through this story like the river that Lucia literally wears in her lovely black hair." — San Francisco Chronicle Book Review

"Luminous, dreamlike paintings perfectly complement the text." — Parenting Magazine

ALSC Notable Children's Books - American Library Association (ALA)
Approved Book - Parents' Choice Foundation
Award for Outstanding Children's Books - Parenting Magazine

From the Publisher

More beautiful than the sun, loved by the whole of nature, purveyor of quiet goodwill, Lucia Zenteno is a part of the story-telling tradition of Mexico's Zapotec Indians. In this English-Spanish retelling, Lucia's fate at the hands of unkind strangers is captured in artwork glowing with color and vitality. When the dazzling girl arrives in a village, it is no surprise that the river falls in love with her, rising ``from its bed . . . to flow through her shining black hair.'' The villagers are less welcoming, however, and only on discovering the loss of their glorious river do they repent of their cruelty toward the mysterious Lucia. While the plot is somewhat limited and moralistic (the Golden Rule is heavily applied) and the writing occasionally plodding, much of the imagery is refreshing--``she combed out the fishes, she combed out the otters.'' Surreal illustrations, calling to mind a stylistic mixture of William Joyce and Karen Barbour, highlight the richness of the folktale convention and perfectly capture a sense of place. Ages 7-up. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 3-- Lucia Zenteno is a mythic character, a woman of great beauty who is perfectly in tune with nature. She is indeed larger than life, and though beloved by the creatures of the countryside, she becomes the target of human hatred and fear and is driven out of her village because she is different. It is only as nature mourns and the river leaves with her that the people realize that theyneed her. This original Hispanic folktale is skillfully told, and is solid and colorfully steeped with imagery of the earth and sky. Both the Spanish and English read gracefully, and the poetic use of language suits the story well for telling. The illustrations have a sense of volume that is reminiscent of Orozco, and the bright colors communicate equally well the heat of the drying land and the coolness of the returning river. An excellent discussion starter, dealing as it does with issues of the differences between people and respect for nature, the book has a natural place in multicultural and environmental units. Pair it with Carmen Lomas Garza's Family Pictures/Cuadros de Familia (Children's Book Pr., 1990) to look at the cultural and artistic aspects or with books such as Jean George's One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest (HarperCollins, 1990) to emphasize our responsibility for our earth. --Ann Welton, Thomas Academy, Kent, WA

School Library Journal