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Summary
Summary
Newbery Medal-winner Cynthia Rylant retells her favorite stories from Greek mythology, breathing fresh life into the tales of Pandora, Persephone, Orpheus, Pygmalion, Narcissus, and Psyche. The writing is lyrical and understated, a perfect tone for stories that introduce young readers to themes of love and loss, pride and forgiveness. Carson Ellis's elegant black-and-white illustrations lend an aura of beauty and mystery.
Author Notes
Cynthia Rylant was born on June 6, 1954 in Hopewell, Virginia. She attended and received degrees at Morris Harvey College, Marshall University, and Kent State University.
Rylant worked as an English professor and at the children's department of a public library, where she first discovered her love of children's literature.
She has written more than 100 children's books in English and Spanish, including works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Her novel Missing May won the 1993 Newbery Medal and A Fine White Dust was a 1987 Newbery Honor book. Rylant wrote A Kindness, Soda Jerk, and A Couple of Kooks and Other Stories, which were named as Best Book for Young Adults. When I was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came won the Caldecott Award.
She has many popular picture books series, including Henry and Mudge, Mr. Putter and Tabby and High-Rise Private Eyes. (Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9-Writing with an eye toward the grand spectrum of the human experience, Rylant introduces readers to Pandora, Persephone, Orpheus, Pygmalion, Narcissus, and Psyche. Themes of love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and courage are presented with quiet wisdom, honest emotion, and a touch of romance. Ellis's sophisticated, soft-edged illustrations echo the text's intimate tone. Audio version available from Recorded Books. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Rylant (All in a Day) hones six myths into clear, accessible stories for younger readers. Plainspoken and captivating, they draw readers into the sagas of Pandora, Persephone, Orpheus, Pygmalion, Narcissus and Psyche. The stories grab attention with intriguing introductions, e.g., "In winter, when ice coats the thin arms of small trees and flowers die... Persephone can be found among the dead. She is their queen. She did not ever mean to be so, but it happened." Rylant's observations about the characters and their foibles focus the brisk-paced retellings ("Perhaps it was not love that Pygmalion wanted so much as notice"). At the heart of each is a soul-stealing kind of love that demands extremes from its participants, for example, Psyche enduring Aphrodite's impossible tests to prove her love for Eros. Ellis, illustrator of the Mysterious Benedict Society books, employs delicate pencil drawings to render the characters amid the organic: flowers, fruit, leaves and twisting vines. The small format reflects the book's purpose: to be a pleasurable sampling of some well-known Greek myths, their ideas and morals distilled to their core. Ages 10-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) In a blend of storytelling and overt interpretation, Rylant gives us the myths of Pandora, Persephone, Orpheus, Pygmalion, Narcissus, and Psyche. Her choice of a title is an indication of her approach: the language is economical and straightforward; and her tone is one of tender melancholy, softening the visceral, even bitter, passions that drive the stories. Most notable in this retelling is its authoritative, all-knowing narrator, who punctuates the stories with observations that direct-and limit-the reader's sense of the story's meaning. Such general claims range from "as always happens in the stories of life, action creates consequences" (Zeus's anger) and "there are some who cannot face reality" (Orpheus) to "she was the essence of femininity and she instinctively gave her heart and soul to her husband" (Pandora). Thus Rylant offers simplified, accessible versions of the myths and curtails their more troubled meanings. Ellis's soft pencil drawings bedeck this elegant-looking little book with visions of flowers, garlands, and comely maidens. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
With elegant simplicity, Rylant retells the stories of Pandora, Persephone, Orpheus, Pygmalion, Narcissus and Psyche, six popular Greek myths involving powerful and poignant emotions. Pandora's curiosity unleashes suffering on the world, but she salvages hope. When Hades abducts her daughter Persephone, Demeter's grief causes the seasons to change. Orpheus's inability to accept his bride's untimely death leads to his own demise. Pygmalion's passion for the beautiful woman he carves from marble brings her to life. Narcissus's fixation on his own perfect image destroys him as well as the adoring Echo. Psyche's selfless devotion to Eros survives Aphrodite's jealous testing. The choices are appropriate for kids, who often fail to grasp complex mythical themes. Rylant's clear explanations of relationships between gods and mortals as well as the underlying motivations and significance of each myth avoid condescension without sacrificing the details, richness and conventions of the original stories. Ellis's formal black-and-white drawings are reminiscent of stylized classical Greek art and illustrate a dramatic moment from each myth. The small, square format completes this accessible and classy introduction to Greek mythology. (Mythology. 10 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
