Athena: Goddess of Wisdom and War

by Imogen Greenberg, Isabel Greenberg (Illustrator)

Overview

A spunky, illustrated feminist take on the myth of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, war, and courage from author Imogen Greenberg and award-winning artist and writer Isabel Greenberg.

From the moment she sprung from Zeus’s head, Athena was extraordinary. Even though some doubted her as a young goddess, Athena never backed down from a fight. Poseidon wants to be the patron god of a nearby city? Well, so does Athena! And she’s going to outwit him and found Athens. Perseus doesn’t know how to defeat Medusa? No problem! Athena can give him the knowledge (and shield) he needs to take off her head. Odysseus is lost at sea, seemingly doomed? Not anymore! Athena can get him home.

In Athena, follow the goddess of wisdom through her adventures with gods and mortals, discover the perils of crossing her, and see how she eventually learned to better understand and aid the human race.

“In addition to telling a ripping yarn, this book gives readers an accurate and structured beginner’s foothold in the classics that will keep them reading . . . Three cheers for Athena, smarts, and bravery!” —Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419748592
Publisher:	Abrams Fanfare
Publication date:	06/22/2021
Series:	Tales of Great Goddesses
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	1,098,836
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Isabel Greenberg is an award-winning illustrator, comic artist, and writer. Her graphic novels, including The Midnight Babies, The One Hundred Nights of Hero, and Glass Town, have received starred reviews, won the Best Book Award at the British Comic Awards, and won the Jonathan Cape/Observer/Comica Graphic Short Story Prize, among other praise. Greenberg has worked with a variety of clients, including the Guardian, Nobrow Press, The National Trust, and the New York Times. She lives in London and enjoys illustrating all things historical.

Imogen Greenberg loves writing history books and myths for children. When not writing, she works in arts and theater administration. She lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

04/26/2021

Highlighting young Athena as a girl striving to be taken seriously by male relatives and other goddesses, sisters Imogen and Isabel Greenberg (The Aztec Empire) adapt and connect several major tales of the goddess in this volume, creating a linear narrative. From the moment she emerges from the head of Zeus, armored and ready for battle, Athena involves herself in the lives of mortals. Whether becoming the patron of Athens, raising Erichthonius to one day become king, or advising and protecting heroes such as Perseus and Odysseus, Imogen Greenberg details Athena’s adventures as guide to humankind and “the goddess behind all the stories.” But even the goddess of wisdom makes missteps, and must learn when to give her assistance as well as the idea that others’ strengths do not diminish her own. Isabel Greenberg’s bold, angular art is well matched to the intended audience and conveys a positive, peppy tone, with light comedic elements (in a kind of comic visual epithet, for example, Poseidon is nearly always holding a fish). While an Odysseus section de-centers Athena to its detriment, outlines of each character and a relatively bloodless telling of mythology that skews slightly younger than the intended audience make this a good place for young myth-interested readers to begin. Ages 8–12. (June)

Publishers Weekly

**STARRED REVIEW**
"In addition to telling a ripping yarn, this book gives readers an accurate and structured beginner’s foothold in the classics that will keep them reading. . .Three cheers for Athena, smarts, and bravery!" —Kirkus Reviews

"Isabel Greenberg’s bold, angular art conveys a positive, peppy tone, with light comedic elements . . . a good place for young myth-interested readers to begin." —Publishers Weekly

"A lighthearted . . . character portrait that will draw elementary grade fans of Marcia Williams’s ventures into classical history and mythology." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

05/01/2021

Gr 3–5—Skipping the parts that may be less appropriate for younger audiences, the Greenberg sisters retell seven myths in which Athena played a significant role—beginning with Hephaestus smashing Zeus's head with a hammer to let her out, ending with select adventures from the Odyssey. In between, readers see her taking time off to raise foundling demigod Erichthonius, raging after losing a weaving competition with Arachne, helpfully counseling Perseus against Medusa, and serving as a clever advocate for Odysseus. The all-caps narrative is written in informal language ("Oh wow. What an honor!" stammers "cowardly" Paris when tasked with awarding the golden apple) and inserted between or within large, stylized single scenes or grouped panels depicting modishly posed, sharp-featured figures in tunics or ankle-length shifts. Athena is tan-skinned, and the other gods and goddesses are portrayed with various hues. Though George O'Connor's Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess presents her more forcefully and offers a more complete tally of her exploits, younger readers may find this uncomplicated version more consistently appealing, as she comes off as a strong-minded sort who makes mistakes but learns from them and stands forthrightly at the end in a goddess power trio with sister Aphrodite and proud stepmother Hera. VERDICT A lighthearted, if sanitized, character portrait that will draw elementary grade fans of Marcia Williams's ventures into classical history and mythology.—John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York

School Library Journal

★ 2021-04-14
This graphic novel brings plucky illustrated energy to the story of the goddess Athena.

With both engaging, whimsical illustrations and cheeky humor, the Greenbergs retell the classical exploits of the Greek goddess of wisdom and war, Athena, from her painful birth from the head of Zeus and beyond. Readers watch the goddess best Poseidon, help Perseus defeat Medusa, meddle unpleasantly with mortals like Arachne, start and end the Trojan War, aid Odysseus on his journey, and generally learn to interfere less and help more throughout her adventures. In addition to telling a ripping yarn, this book gives readers an accurate and structured beginner’s foothold in the classics that will keep them reading. With its introduction to characters, visual cues across illustrations, breathtaking splash pages, glossary, and readers guide, the book opens the door to the Trojan War, The Odyssey, and Greek mythology. Further, part of what makes the Greek gods attractive and interesting is their humanity—and that is not lost here, either. Athena is brave and wise but also jealous and meddling and vain. She makes mistakes and is far from perfect, but that makes her all the more a hero for every reader.

Three cheers for Athena, smarts, and bravery! (Graphic mythology. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews