A Copy from My Beloved Library
Birth.
Stirring awake.
Flowing again.
When it comes to Spring, trees and seas come to mind. This week, I want to share an exotic take about the origin of the tree, the sea and some of the world’s magnificent creatures.
When Woman Became the Sea
(by Susan Strauss & Cristina Acosta)
In a Costa Rican creation myth, Sibu, Creator of the world, could not figure out what was missing from his masterpiece. He sought help from Thunder, who wouldn’t stay put long enough to contribute. So Sibu created the world’s first woman to hold Thunder’s attention.
Her name was Sea.
She was an inquisitive woman. There were things the men demanded of which she couldn’t make sense. “Oh, how the world is changed when a woman begins to wonder!”
From her, a tree of abundance grew. The world stirred further and blossomed. Branches stretched and birds flew. “Oh, how the world is changed by creatures who can’t stay in one place!”
From the belly of the tree burst a body of water. It nourished the world and pieced Sibu’s puzzle complete.
When Woman Became the Sea is different from the other Spring-themed picture books I’ve found in the library. It’s rich instead of sweet, hopeful rather than cute.
And the extra information on how Costa Rica “hosts one of the world’s largest rain forests, which they call the Cloud Forest because thick clouds are always dancing between the jungle trees” adds another romantic layer to this story. I don't know how not to like it.
{Also, I do enjoy the bold strokes and texture in the Art. I wonder if you do, too?}
…
Trees. Yellow flowers. Baby canaries practicing their flight in the evenings. The earth revealed. Thawed hands and feet. The sky clearing up. The sea flowing again.
What comes to your mind when March and Spring arrive?
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