Cover Image: Gaia: Goddess of Earth

Gaia: Goddess of Earth

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Member Reviews

This graphic novel style format and large hardback volume will entice readers in. The mythology and story, as well as the engaging illustrations will keep them reading!
It is a brilliant way for readers to learn about Gaia and her story and to help inspire them to change the world!

Gaia created the world as a peaceful, harmonious place but had to watch in sadness as it was fought over, infected and filled with greed and anger. Drama fills the pages and some of the stories are terrifying and brutal, but these are likely to be popular with readers.

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Straight off the bat this was so beautifully illustrated and had such an amazing message for children to look after their earth and each other.
However, if you were looking for mythology this isn't the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this free eArc, this is my honest review.

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Gaia: Goddess of Earth has a really eye-catching, graphic novel style. As I've reviewed an electronic ARC I'm not sure of the finished size, but I did find the font size a little tricky for me to read.

I think it would be very easy to believe that this story is an accurate reflection of events from the past, which it isn't. However it's a fiction text and I for one really enjoyed the writing and story. There were elements of humour in the dialogue which I think younger readers would enjoy.

Thanks #NetGalley and #Bloomsbury for the eARC.

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Gaia: Goddess of the earth is a such an easy beautiful read that captivates you with its bold, colourful and diverse illustrations. This graphic novel includes a retelling of the story of Cronus, the battle of the titans, all its aftermath and what Gaia did to make the world better, there is also lovely message within about how we should look after our planet.
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Although there are a handful of inaccurate/missing information (however there are so many retellings of the myths 🤷‍♀️) this graphic novel is such a fun wonderful way to introduce children to brief re-tellings of Mythology and a great stepping stone to dive into learning more about Greek Mythology.
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Gaia was such a joy to read, easy flowing, well paced and quick introduction to Greek Mythology, I also loved the occasional pop culture reference that was thrown in that made me chuckle. The Greenberg sisters have done a stunning job with this book and I hope its one that children enjoy and treasure in the future.

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I wanted to love this book with every fibre of my being, but unfortunately I do not. If you’re looking for a children’s book about protecting the earth, peace, love and justice for all then this is an absolutely wonderful read that you will enjoy. If you’re looking for a children’s book on Greek mythology then this is absolutely not the book to buy. 95% of this book is inaccurate in terms of mythology, and children will learn a lot of false information from reading this.

The pictures are cute and the dialogue made me chuckle in places, I think overall people with no knowledge of mythology will find this book to be cute and amusing, but if you know anything about mythology I’d give this book a miss otherwise it’ll send you into a ranting fit of rage (like it did to me….) the most accurate thing about the whole book? Aphrodite is responsible for the Trojan war. And yes, before anyone asks, yes, they called him HERCULES AND NOT HERACLES. *insert eye rolling emoji*

Thank you to Bloomsbury for sending me a copy of this book to review, and for having me on the blog tour!

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A wonderfully easy to understand interpretation of Gaia’s involvement in the creation of the world. It may not be wholly accurate but there are so many retellings of these myths that who are we to determine which telling is accurate 🤷🏼‍♀️.

I loved the story, the illustrations, the snippy asides and I’m a 34 year old woman. Children, middle-grade readers and beyond will enjoy this story and hopefully take something away from the underlying themes.

I’m buying an actual copy as soon as I can. If you can get your hands on a copy for the children in your life I couldn’t recommend it enough.

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Absolutely gorgeous, illustrated beautifully, this timeless story deserves to be told forever.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

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AD/ PR product. Thanks so much to the publisher, the author Imogen Greenberg, the illustrator Isbael Greenberg, and to Netgalley for gifting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As an aspiring classicist, and overall classical enthusiast, I was so thrilled to discover a new children’s book about greek mythology, especially about mythological figures that aren’t often talked about it children’s non-fiction, such as Gaia. I also did really enjoy how this book discussed the Gigantomachy, as again, it is rarely discussed in children’s retellings. I also loved the occasional references to other myths and I also enjoyed the occasional pop culture reference too, including “Get in, loser. we’re going on an adventure”.

Isabel Greenberg’s illustrations in this book are absolutely gorgeous. Vivid colours, diverse characters and each gods’ personalities shone through. My favourite piece of artwork featured was one of Gaia with flowing green hair, and animals and creatures living inside it. It was vibrant and I could feel the momentum and movement within.

However, I do have a lot of critiques for this book. I felt that the creation of the world was very Christianised. In accurate mythology, it was Prometheus and Epimetheus (under Zeus’ request) who created humans and animals, yet in this version, it was Gaia who created all, whilst Prometheus and Epimetheus were not mentioned. I felt that the Ancient Greek creation story was altered so heavily that it appeared to mimic the Christian Genesis creation story, and in doing so, felt extremely distanced itself from actual mythology.

On top of that, the story of the Titans was told extremely out of order, with humans being created during Ouranus’ rule, instead of after Cronos’ defeat. And the Olympians were established as ruling over the own domains all along, even before they had won the Titan war. Elements like this felt confusing and pointless to me, as the book discusses from the creation of the universe, to the Titan War, to the battle of the giants and the gods, so why couldn’t the events be told a more accurate order? I understand that interpretations differ, but the order of events discussed in this book was so far off any interpretation I have read or studied that it felt, at times, lazy. Especially when discussing false details such as Aphrodite being called Athena’s sister, instead of born from Ouranous.

Whilst I understand that having such a large array of figures and events in such a short children’s book who be confusing (and some topics would be far too inappropriate for children), I felt that the mythology was handled quite poorly, which for a book which acts as a re-telling and introduction to mythology, is a big problem. Many other children’s books on mythology have managed to find a balance between accurate retellings and interesting and digestible information for children, this book falls a bit flat on that.

However, the concept of introducing children to the Classics is something I am a firm supporter and believer in. Although I have not read all of their books, I do know that the Greenberg sisters have published other works on Greek mythology and history, so I am inclined to check those out to see how they compare to this book. I also loved how this book did not romanticise the gods, and instead, encourages children to not adopt the selfish behaviours of them. It also encourages children to treat the environment with love.

This book is a brief re-telling of the lead-up to the Titanomachy and Giantomachy, as well as the aftermath and the gods’ relations with humans. I’d say, if you are to read this book, or give this book to a loved one, I would consider that. more detailed discussions and children’s books may be needed to learn a bit more. Overall, I’d rate this book 3.75 stars out of 5. It was a visually appealing introduction to the mythology, which would be able to act as a decent stepping stone to learning about Greek mythological origins for children, and also ends of a call-to-action about changing the world through environmentalism.

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I love reading retellings, and this was so much fun. I enjoyed the illustrations and the colour palette. This would be perfect for the younger readers to learn more about Greek myths.

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This is a wonderful way for younger people to learn about mythology and includes a lovely message to encourage them to change the world. The signature Greenberg illustration style is bright, colourful and engaging.

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The chance to see the wonderful work by Imogen early was never going to be a thing I could pass up, so when I saw it recently on NetGalley I knew I had to request to read this, and I am so glad I did, as they introduce us in this new picture book to Gaia, the greek goddess of the Earth.

Telling the story of Cronus, The Battle of The Titans and the aftermath, this book covers in a really empathetic but kind way of what happened during those times and the impact it had on Mount Olympus according to Myth, and what Gaia did next to make the world a better place after everything had happened, and it is always done so well.

Accompanying these stories is incredible art as usual in any book from these authors, as they give us the greek gods and goddesses in their amazing art style which make clear the scenes that were going down in mythology. It's truly a beautiful book to take in and I loved all the detail anc characters they introduced throughout this book.

A wonderful first taste for a child what mythology is, Gaia: Goddess Of Earth is also a book I would treasure for a long time to come to.

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Unfortunately, I was disappointed with what this book brought me. I totally understand what it was trying to do and I do think that the authors achieved some of the goals that they clearly set out to with this book. That being said it felt like a bit of a missed opportunity and not as authentic as I would have preferred.

But lets start of with the things I did enjoy. I loved the art style throughout this book, I thought that each character was clear and distinguishable by their appearance and the colour palette was very aesthetically pleasing. I also thought that the pacing and length of this book was perfect, it didn't seem drawn out or rushed at any point and will work well for the target audience. In general I think children will really like this story, even more so with if they don't know much about greek mythology. The themes on looking after the natural world and human greed were ones I think were handled well and are important.

That being said it is very inaccurate in its mythology which to me is a real shame, I understand that not everything is kid friendly when it comes to these myths but some of the more drastic changes I felt actually dampened the message the book was trying to spread. I also think the font on the book should be revised to make sure it is accessible as I definitely found some parts challenging to read.

Rated: 2.5 Stars

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I enjoyed this retelling of the story of Gaia. It provides a straightforward account of Gaia's involvement in the creation of the cosmos and Earth. It is clear from the beginning that this is story aimed at younger readers that addresses the ecological crisis today and the need for global stewardship.

As a teacher of Religious Education, I would like to use this graphic novel in my classes. Just recently, I covered the origin story of Zeus and spoke about Gaia. I found it difficult to find visual resources for my students at the time. However, going forward I will add this novel to my collection of resources as I feel my students would really enjoy it. The plot is not complicated or convoluted and is easy to read and follow.

The illustrations are visually appealing and imaginative. I adore the imagery used for Gaia. I feel how she is depicted is appropriate and apt for such an important goddess and creator. The book challenges gender generalisations and stereotypes throughout and it is pleasing to see Gaia as the main character.

I do have a criticism and it is that of the Furies. I did not enjoy how they popped up sporadically with their withering comments. I don't think they added anything to the story until their appearance towards the end of the story. I found them frustrating and slightly irritating.

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Greek myth in graphic novel form, as Gaia sees her husband then her son ruin the Earth she had created, and then smuggles Rhea's child away from the danger, not quite realising how he would turn out. It would be fine, given that it has a nice level of detail, except some of the art is quite unattractive, and it is sooooo colloquial, full of speech bubbles like "Yoo hoo! Cyclopes!" and Zeus calling people his "pal". Finally, the jury will remain out as to whether Gaia's example is nicely poised at the finish here, or under-used and should be more obviously the point of the story. Two and a half stars.

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Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of Gaia: Goddess of Earth by Imogen and Greenberg.

This was a lovely retelling of Greek mythology at it's earliest- Gaia, the personification of Earth and one of the Greek primordial deities.

Mother of the sky, the sea, and the Titans we hear so much about, Gaia is an essential and wonderfully interesting part of Greek Mythology.

The artwork in this graphic novel was wonderful. A lovely sense of 'children's book illustrations' whilst still being brilliant for a middle-grade or adult reader.

Greek mythology has fascinated me for as long as I can remember, and this retelling of Gaia, Rhea, The Furies and The Fates is a fantastic read for both young and old.

I will definatly want to being this lovely book into the classroom, and dive into the other works of the Greenberg sisters (whom I have very happily discovered from recieving this eARC).

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Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Five Stars

You can always count on the Greenberg sisters to believe top quality retellings of ancient history, whether fact or myth. And what a great story to choose to tell - the earliest of Greek creation myths, told with the focus of Gaia, Rhea, the Furies and the Fates (a.k.a. the women who are so rarely remembered). This myth is not only often underappreciated in favour of the more popular and adventurous Gods of Olympus (as opposed to the Titans who preceded them as much of this is), but it also tips off readers about where many other classical figures and creatures came from such as the Cyclopes, the Furies and Fates, even Zeus's thunderbolts and the Greek's devotion to the Olympian deities. For a young reader, none of that will be significant but they'll have a wonderful time reading and exploring the world accompanied by Isabel's ever-lovely illustrations. Top tier children's books here pals, and just as enjoyable for anyone older.

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