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Summary
Summary
The story of Daedalus, the Greek master craftsman, who murdered his nephew because of envy, fled to Crete, and then, with his son, tried to fly away from Crete like a bird.
Author Notes
Jane Yolen was born February 11, 1939 in New York City. She received a bachelor's degree from Smith College in 1960 and a master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts in 1976. After college, she became an editor in New York City and wrote during her lunch break. She sold her first children's book, Pirates in Petticoats, at the age of 22. Since then, she has written over 300 books for children, young adults, and adults.
Her other works include the Emperor and the Kite, Owl Moon, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and The Devil's Arithmetic. She has won numerous awards including the Kerlan Award, the Regina Medal, the Keene State Children's Literature Award, the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards, the Golden Kite Award, the Jewish Book Award, the World Fantasy Association's Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Association of Jewish Libraries Award.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-- This is, in many respects, a superior retelling of the legend of Daedalus and Icarus. The poetic language creates the atmosphere of ancient Greece, a land ruled by gods who watched and directed the lives of mortals with total concentration and powerful certainty. Yolen has included the reasons for Daedalus's exile from Greece and elaborates on his subsequent sojourn in Crete. When he and Icarus are imprisoned by Minos for treason, the story reaches its familiar climax. The epilogue recounts Daedalus's fate after the tragic flight that destroys his son. Perhaps because many narrative twists and turns are included, the story's focus is obscured. The Greek chorus, represented by commentary in italics, reflects the reactions and opinions of gods who ordain the outcome of events. The authenticity of this cannot be questioned, but it may deter some readers who would prefer to pursue the story line. Nolan's art is truly epic in quality. His full-page watercolors are replete with classical detail; in addition to their decorative qualities, they also illuminate the complex story. Subtle touches, such as including faces of gods and goddesses as parts of clouds and varying the perspective to achieve dramatic effect, enhance the value of the book as a read-aloud. It should be appreciated by sophisticated audiences who bring to it a knowledge of classical my thology. --Martha Rosen, Edgewood School, Scarsdale, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
"Yolen is in top form in this polished, ardent retelling," said PW; "Nolan's sophisticated watercolors... provocatively blend reality and fantasy." All ages. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
A thoughtful look at Daedalus, whose talent as an architect, sculptor, and inventor is offset, again and again, by both his pride and his misunderstanding of his place in the eyes of the gods. Lines spoken by a Greek chorus show the judgment of the gods as Daedalus finds fame then infamy in Athens, betrays Minos for Theseus and Ariadne, and then makes the ill-fated wings that cause his beloved son's death. The text is supported by vibrant watercolors. From HORN BOOK 1991, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A clear, well-balanced retelling of the tale of Daedalus, focusing on the loss of his son Icarus, who flew too close to the sun while the two were escaping from Crete, melted the wax that held feathers to his wings, and fell into the sea. Yolen carefully sets the tale in Greek mythology, going back to the reasons for Daedalus's exile, explaining the concept of hubris, and using italicized asides to comment on the gods' reactions to the events. In his formal, realistic paintings, Nolan extends the device by picturing the gods as cloud formations, their responses ranging from anger and boredom to laughter, but all rather ordinarily human. A thoughtful, attractive presentation of the themes underlying classical tragedy, as exemplified by a particularly resonant myth. (Mythology. 7-12)
Booklist Review
Gr. 3-6, younger for reading aloud. Yolen's version of the Daedalus myth has classical rigor and resonance, but some of the full-page watercolor illustrations, including the cover, add an intrusive sweetness reminiscent of religious tracts. Yolen shows that the punishment of hubris is at the core of the story, the gods' destruction of the proud humans who forget their place ("The gods always punish such a man"). Daedalus, great Athenian prince and artist, forgets himself, kills his young nephew, and is banished from all he loves. Far from home, in exile in Crete, he builds the great labyrinth to hold the Minotaur. In Yolen's version, Daedalus helps Theseus and Ariadne find their way through the labyrinth to slay the monster and escape. As punishment, the king imprisons Daedalus and his beloved son, Icarus, in a grim tower. They make wings and fly away, but Icarus goes too high, the sun melts the wax in his wings, and he falls to his death. Yolen's notes at the beginning and end suggest the deeper meanings of the journeys through sky and labyrinth. Nearly every page ends with a line in italics, like a Greek chorus. In keeping with the bitter yearning of the story, Nolan's best paintings show dark sky and rock and ocean, a landscape both stormy and eternal. In the last haunting picture, a small, winged Daedalus flies over the rising waves, searching for the son he has lost. ~--Hazel Rochman
