Pegasus, the Flying Horse [Hardcover]

Jane Yolen (Author), Li Ming (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998 | Age Level: 7 and up

Acclaimed author Jane Yolen and artist Li Ming once again join forces to bring us this lyrical and stunningly illustrated retelling of the classic Greek myth of Pegasus. Yolen weaves a powerful tale of adventure and daring. Son of Poseidon and a mortal woman, Bellerophon tames the miraculous winged horse, Pegasus; slays the hideous three-headed Chimaera, and marries a beautiful princess. However, the young man meets his downfall when he tries to claim a place among the gods in Valhalla, angering Zeus with his overreaching pride. Li Ming's oil paintings bring the world of these haunting and timeless figures of mythology to life, filling each page with high drama and carefully rendered portraits of monsters and gods. In Pegasus, the Flying Horse, Yolen and Li Ming re-create the power and enchantment of their first successful collaboration, Merlin and the Dragons. By turns exhilarating and terrifying, this story is sure to keep young readers turning the page, and is also perfect for reading out loud. Jane Yolen is the author of nearly two hundred books, including the Caldecott winner Owl Moon, illustrated by John Schoenherr.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Yolen and Ming (previously paired for Merlin and the Dragons) mine Greek myth to retell the story of Bellerophon, the boy who tames a flying horse. Yolen recounts the tale through the voice of a beggar?who, as it transpires in the end, may or may not himself be Bellerophon. Although the telling is not as stately as in Marianna Mayer's and Kinuko Y. Craft's recent Pegasus, the prose is fluid and smooth, and the author deftly wrings the drama from the tale, from the boy's encounter with the goddess Athena and his battle with the hideous Chimaera to his tragic fall from glory. Ming capitalizes on the story's dramatic moments as well, and his oil paintings have a larger-than-life quality. There's a dreamy quality to his artwork?figures and objects blur slightly at the edges, bleeding into shadow and clouds?and the sense of elusiveness is sustained by a palette that shifts from the dark and fiery colors for Bellerophon's battle with the monster to the soft pastels of the skies for the airborne rides of boy and horse. A solid collaboration. Ages 7-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4?A story within a story. A boy and his father are in the Corinth market to buy a horse when they meet an old beggar who regales them with the tale of Bellerophon, a proud and handsome young man who is interested in only one thing?catching and riding Pegasus. With the help of Athena, he bridles and rides the winged horse. When Bellerophon accidentally causes his brother's death, he flees to a distant kingdom. There, the queen falls in love with him, engendering yet another swift retreat. He is forced to perform the dangerous deed of killing the Chimaera in order to redeem himself. Bellerophon's hubris eventually gets the best of him when he dares to ride into the realm of Zeus and is tossed off Pegasus and left with a crippled leg. By story's end, readers realize that the teller is indeed Bellerophon. Yolen eloquently brings this ancient tale to life. The artist's lush, Renaissance-style oil paintings surround the text. Each is thick with color, and while the human forms are not always competently done, Pegasus is consistently spectacular. Full of light and saturated color, the illustrations deftly set the tone and place. All of the elements of a good story are here: adventure, intrigue, wicked acts of deceit, heroic deeds, and the dangers of pride. A perfect selection for young fantasy fans and an inviting introduction to myths.?Angela J. Reynolds, West Slope Community Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1st edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525652442
• ISBN-13: 978-0525652441
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #931,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introduce your child to a Classic Myth and be awed by these illustrations.., February 18, 2006

By 

Wabi Sabi "bona-fide bibliomaniac" (rural USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pegasus, the Flying Horse (Hardcover)

This book is exquisitely illustrated with museum-quality oil paintings. Young children will savor the images and be prompted to ask a plethura of questions about the story. Older children will be entranced by the dramatic plot and challenged by the names and places in the story. A high quality publication.