On a warm spring day, the beautiful young goddess Persephone is snatched from her home by Hades, god of the Underworld, and taken away to live underground and become his bride. Persephone's mother, Demeter, goddess of Earth, is so brokenhearted that she curses the land so nothing can grow — a permanent winter. / How will Persephone and her mother be reunited? Will spring ever come again? / This lyrical retelling of the ancient Greek myth by master storyteller Sally Pomme Clayton is brought to life with Virginia Lee's beautiful illustrations. Young readers will be intrigued by the dramatic story as well as by its clever explanation for the changing seasons.
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 3–6—Lyrical language and vivid details make for a strong retelling of this Greek myth, as Persephone is "plucked" from a flower-filled field, carried off to the Underworld by Hades, and sought out and mourned for by her distraught mother, Demeter. The story follows a traditional path, and Clayton makes connections to day-to-day life and the harvest cycle in the narrative and in her interesting afterword. Demeter welcomes her daughter home with a feast of "fresh bread, white cheese, dark olives, and cool glasses of barley water" and her seasonal comings and goings are marked by changes to the environment ("Ice melts and the ground grows soft. Earth bears fruit….Spring has come again"). Lee's mixed-media paintings, showing stylized classical-looking figures, effectively use color and tone to convey the characters' emotions: Persephone is aglow with happiness in a spring-hued scenario or wrapped in deep despair in Hades's dark kingdom. Cutaways simultaneously depict above- and belowground scenes (for example, Demeter rests in a sunlit pool while Persephone sits on a lonely Underworld throne) to underscore the story's themes. Add this fine picture book to mythology sections.—Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* In this familiar Greek myth, Persephone is abducted by Hades, who takes her into the Underworld and sets her upon a throne as his queen. Above ground, the goddess Demeter searches for her missing daughter and, when she learns of Persephone’s fate, takes revenge on the earth itself by making winter last all year. After Zeus intervenes, Hades lets Persephone return home, but not before tempting her with pomegranate seeds. When she eats three, she ensures that every year she must return to him and, during that time, winter returns to Earth. Approaching the Greek myth of Persephone with the respect that a good storyteller holds for a great story, Clayton retells the tale with drama and grace. The mixed-media artwork creates a series of scenes defined by sweeping lines, broad views, and restrained use of color. Reflecting the generally somber tone of the narrative, the illustrations are impressive in their stately beauty. Strange and memorable, the many cross-sections showing the earth’s surface and the Underworld are particularly impressive. This lovely picture book was first published in England, but its appeal, like that of the myth, is universal. Grades 2-4. --Carolyn Phelan
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Gorgeous illustration, lacking storytelling,
By M "CultOfStrawberry" (I wait behind the wall, gnawing away at your reality) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
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This review is from: Persephone (Hardcover)
The illustrations alone give the book 5 stars. They're beautiful and detailed, lush and filled with color. Heck, the pictures were more interesting than the story... though with the sparseness of the story, just almost any artist could have told a better story with illustrations.
The story itself is lacking, which brings the rating down to a 3. Many parts of the myth have been cut out, and the characters are portrayed as very simplistic. I know this is supposed to be a children's book, but there was no feeling to the words. The story was much better illustrated in the artwork, but the postscript/trivia at the back of the book made for a nice touch.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Mythic Understanding of Nature,
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This review is from: Persephone (Hardcover)
The original purpose of the Persephone story was to explain in a mythological context the continous cycle of birth, death and rebirth. This explanation may have worked well in a pre-modern agrarian society but today even my six year old daughter has a basic scientific understanding of the seasons and the role they play in agriculture. So why should we bother to read this story today? First, the story of Persephone gives us a glimpse back into time. We see how the ancients understood and explained natural phenomona. More importantly, it is important to give young children the opportunity to see the world through a mythological perspective. Yes, we live in a physical world that can be explained scientifically. Nevertheless, we also live in a world that can be understood in a philosophical and spiritual way. Sally Pomme Clayton's "Persephone" does a great job of retelling this ancient story and her wonderful illustrations add an additional level of enjoyment to the book. Highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enchanting illustrations,
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This review is from: Persephone (Hardcover)
The artwork beautifully shows contrast between and unity of light and darkness, surface and underworld, life and death, happiness and grief.
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