I Am Arachne: Fifteen Greek and Roman Myths

by Elizabeth Spires, Mordicai Gerstein (Illustrator)

Overview

Spinning, I can't stop spinning, so stay a minute, and I, Arachne, will spin a story for you . . .

In this singular collection, the heroes and heroines of fifteen Greek and Roman tales give their own dramatic 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's playful renditions for a totally fresh take on familiar and not-so-familiar myths.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312561253
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	07/21/2009
Edition description:	Square Fish ed.
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	1,037,231
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Elizabeth Spires is the author of three other books for children, including The Mouse of Amherst, and four collections of poetry for adults. Her book I Heard God Talking to Me was published by FSG in Spring 2009. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Mordicai Gerstein is the author and illustrator of The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, winner of the Caldecott Medal, and has had four books named New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year. He lived in Westhampton, Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

Spires, author of The Mouse of Amherst (1999) makes ancient tales unusually vivid and immediate by recasting them as first-person accounts. . . . Mordicai Gerstein's crosshatched ink drawings add touches of visual elegance to the stylish retellings. . . . a truly memorable read-aloud candidate.” —Booklist

“Spires has a poet's ear for language.” —Voice of Youth Advocates

From the Publisher

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.

School Library Journal

Each of these episodes from Greek and Roman mythology is only a few pages long, each is told in the first person, and most of them have the whiny and dissatisfied voice of adolescence. Of course, many of the protagonists were adolescents: Arachne bemoans her vanity in challenging a goddess to a weaving contest and is changed to a spider for her pains; Pandora has to open that box; Narcissus falls in love with the beautiful boy who is his reflection. People get changed to sunflowers (Clytie) or reeds (Syrinx) or stars (Callisto). Ostensibly a new way of looking at these characters—from their own points of view—the result is a flippant tone and a diminishing of the luster of the well-known stories. A bit of verse appears here and there; the illustrations are winsome or melodramatic by turns. A cast of characters (not very much more enlightening than their chapters) and places complete this small volume. Hard to say who the audience is, but kids who have memorized all the Hercules and Xena episodes might enjoy this. (Nonfiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews