I Am Arachne: Fifteen Greek and Roman Myths [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Spires (Author), Mordicai Gerstein (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Short, snappy, and accessible

In this singular collection, the heroes and heroines of fifteen Greek and Roman tales give their own dramatic, first-person accounts of events. From the magnificent spinner Arachne, who learns that a mortal should never challenge a god, to the god Pan, who prefers Earth to Mount Olympus, to the beautiful, self-indulgent Pandora and the gold-stricken Midas -- the reader becomes a confidant to the tellers of these sometimes humorous, sometimes sad, always engaging tales of wonder, woe, romantic love, and jealousy.

Mordicai Gerstein's energetic, whimsical illustrations combine with Elizabeth Spires' playful renditions for a totally fresh take on familiar and not-so-familiar myths.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-These tales are presented as first-person accounts, each one no more than six pages, accompanied by a lighthearted drawing that adds little to the story. The softest version is presented-Arachne does not kill herself; Pandora suffers no consequences for her actions; and Midas never touches his daughter, sparing her his golden curse. In addition, the author sometimes ends up spelling out details. Some of the segments are true to the ancient world, while others include anachronisms such as newspapers. It is difficult to determine who the intended audience may be, as the writing is simple, yet some of the versions are a bit sophisticated, and readers familiar with these myths will better appreciate the point of view adopted in the tellings.-Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Aloha, OR

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7, younger for reading aloud. Spires, author of The Mouse of Amherst (1999) makes ancient tales unusually vivid and immediate by recasting them as first-person accounts. Here, Arachne and Midas ruefully admit their mistakes, Pan fondly recalls encounters with mountain nymphs, and Sisyphus begs readers, "Just . . . give . . . me . . . a . . . moment . . and . . . I'll . . . tell . . . you . . . why . . . I'm . . . here" as he pushes onward. Readers also stand to gain a new appreciation, if that's the word, for Narcissus ("Oh me, oh my, another boring day in the underworld! Which mirror shall I look in first today?"), and sympathy for the usually silent Eurydice, who, despite local headlines ("HADES DISPATCH: Stones Weep, Trees Bow Down at Poet's Grief"), proves herself a better poet than Orpheus. Mordicai Gerstein's crosshatched ink drawings add touches of visual elegance to the stylish retellings. The distinct, individual voices Spires gives her various humans, gods, and demigods make this a promising source of monologue material as well as a truly memorable read-aloud candidate. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (March 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374335257
• ISBN-13: 978-0374335250
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,803,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Myths for middle graders drolly told., May 17, 2002

By 

Stephen Richmond "Librarian/Teacher/Reader an... (Newton, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Am Arachne: Fifteen Greek and Roman Myths (Hardcover)

This small book would serve nicely as an introduction to classical mythology for the middle grades and interested adults as well. Spires' tone as she retells the tales of not only Arachne, but of Pandora, Orpheus and Eurydice, Sisyphus, Endymion and others as well, is just wry and arch enough to be quite delightful and so appealing. This is captured very well in Gerstein's simple and almost cartoonish illustrations. It's just so fun to hear Eurydice saying "I was married to Orpheus for about fifteen minutes when I was bitten by a poisonous snake and brought down to the underworld. So much for my happiness." Spires' characterizations of these well-known archetypes are always on the mark. The cast of characters list at the end of the book is also useful, if not essential, and also set in a droll prose. The work well fills the gap between the D'Aulaires' classic Book of Greek Myths and the more adult By Jove! Brush Up Your Mythology by Michael Macrone and the also wonderful and more recent Friendly Guide to Mythology by Nancy Hathaway. Entertaining and painlessly edifying, all.