Tales of Pan [Hardcover]

Mordicai Gerstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1986

A collection of tales about the Greek god Pan and his relatives and some of the grand and silly things they did.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Thirteen stories of the silly, delightful mythological god Pan and his family are compiled in this picture book. When Pan is born, his distinguishing curly horns, beard and goat legs frighten away the nurse; others immediately love and admire him. His presence changes Mount Olympus from a peaceful place to one of confusion and havoc. He skips, dances, shrieks, leaps, races, yowls, claps and jumps throughout the story, never stopping for a moment. Tired of Olympus, he heads to Arcadia, finding nymphs, flowers, people and creatures everywhere. There, Pan repeatedly falls in love. He invents "panic," he kisses Hercules and is tossed out a window, he challenges Apollo to a music contest, and more. Gerstein's version of these Greek tales is direct and clearly written. His wildly exhuberant artwork conveys the noise and confusion that characterizes Pan himself.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4 A god of noise and confusion, whose unnerving shouts throw hearers into panic ; who prefers a romp in the wild to the civilized splendors of Olympus; and inveterate boaster who wants the moon: Pan might have been conceived as the apotheosis of the five year old. These stories are only a few pages each, and the retellings are faithful but as lighthearted as their irrepressible subject. The type is large, but dominated by the exuberant color sketches spilling across the pages, their crinkled line and scribbles of pastel effectively conveying the dizzy, chaotic energy of the Greek gods as Gerstein sees them. This delightfully down-to-earth view of myth might even turn your favorite kindergarten paleontologist into an embryo classicist. Patricia Dooley, formerly at Drexel University, Phila .
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 63 pages
• Publisher: Harper & Row; 1st edition (1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060219963
• ISBN-13: 978-0060219963
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,298,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fan Of Pan ~ Perfect Purchase For Prudent Pagan Parents, January 21, 2007

By 

Brian E. Erland "Rainbow Sphinx" (Brea, CA - USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tales of Pan (Hardcover)

I purchased this book about twenty years ago at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. When I handed the slender, hardcover volume and money to the cashier a big smile spread across his whiskered face as he said, "Ah...Pan, a much maligned being!" He then reached inside his shirt collar and pulled out a silver amulet hanging around his neck. It was an image of Pan. Such unexpected synchronistic events always seem to occur when dealing with the horned God.

Mordicai Gerstein's 63 page book titled `Tales of Pan' is a charming and enjoyable collection of short tales about an infant satyr that serves as a nice introduction to the most famous of all mythological deities, Pan. Easy reading and wonderful illustrations make this a book perfect for a spot in the nursery or even better on the coffee table for all to enjoy.

If you're a lover of mythology and the beings that populate that timeless realm or a pagan with a special appreciation for this must maligned and misunderstood deity you know how difficult it is to find anything dealing with Pan. `Tales of Pan' is a engaging little volume to read as a bedtime stories for the little ones, or just a light-hearted reading for yourself to reintroduce yourself to the enigmatic and elusive hoofed one. ENJOY!