Demeter & Persephone: Spring Held Hostage (Graphic Myths and Legends)
Grade 1-3–The first book is a retelling of the story of Hades's kidnapping of Persephone into the Underworld and Demeter's plea to the Olympians to bring her back. It's written at a very introductory level, and the creators try a little too hard to allude to other myths and bring additional Olympians into the text, which makes the otherwise dynamic narrative somewhat stilted. The artwork is excellent throughout, and the glossary will aid readers with unfamiliar words. The second book introduces elements of Chinese mythology. The introduction clarifies that while Yu was real, the story is legendary. Unfortunately, the art doesn't match the flow of the narrative, and often the characters look more European or Native American than Chinese. These titles will do well in libraries where comics or mythology books circulate, and especially where the Jr. Graphic Mythologies series (Rosen) is popular.–Alana Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CTCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theLibrary Bindingedition.