I am Pan!

Mordicai Gerstein

Book - 2016

"A picture book about the Greek god of the wild, shepherds, music, hunting and misrule, Pan."--

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j292.13/Gerstein
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Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room j292.13/Gerstein Due Mar 31, 2024
Subjects
Genres
Myths
Published
New York, New York : Roaring Brook Press [2016]
Language
English
Main Author
Mordicai Gerstein (author)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
Cover title.
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 23 x 24 cm
Audience
Ages 5-9.
Awards
Aesop Prize, 2016.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN
9781626720350
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

In roughly a dozen stories told through comics-style sequences, Gerstein (The Night World) delivers a wonderfully mischievous and joyful account of the life of the Greek god Pan, as narrated by the cloven-hooved deity himself. Gerstein draws from Ovid, Graves, and other familiar sources as he describes Pan's romantic misadventures, his music contest with Apollo, and his role in the battle of Marathon, among other myths, while also adding playful, modern touches throughout (when Zeus battles Typhon, the monster stuns the god with a screech that sounds like "one thousand fingernails on a blackboard"). Gerstein's jittery illustrations are perfectly suited to Pan's scruffy, goaty body and inexhaustible energy, and the lurid, zigzagging lettering he uses for Pan's panic-inducing screams is especially effective. Laughs come fast and frequently, whether it's Pan haplessly trying to court various nymphs ("But I glub you! Glub glub glub," he shouts as a waterfall nymph sends him tumbling) or the gods retiring to "Greece-or is it Canada" as the book comes to a close. It's every bit the wild and woolly "autobiography" that a chaotic spirit like Pan deserves. Ages 5-9. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 1-4-Pan is a loud, energetic, and mischievous little god. Born to Hermes, he is the apple of his parents' eye, as well as a joy to all in Olympus.for a while. The other gods begin to tire of his wild antics and silly ways, so they suggest he head off to Arcadia, where there are pigs, goats, hills, streams, waterfalls, bees, beekeepers, fountains, and more to keep him entertained. Pan thinks this is a fabulous idea, and the people are thrilled with his arrival. Pan promises to protect the animals and people of the kingdom but makes one small requirement: that they are quiet when he takes his nap. This delightful retelling of the origins of the Greek god Pan is told in graphic picture book format. The story is very easy to understand and is a terrific introduction into Greek mythology. The text is humorous, fast-paced, and exciting; kids are sure to wish that the story would go on. The illustrations are fun and blend seamlessly with the text, making the story engaging. The format is perfect for packing tons of humor, whimsy, and action on every page. VERDICT An irresistible introduction to the god and to Greek mythology in general.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

Never have the first-person point of view and the exclamation point been used more appropriately than in this introduction to the Greek god Pan. Untrammeled ego, low impulse control, resilient, charming -- this is a Pan we all recognize. As Hera says, "He delights my heart, but hes a menace." In this set of Pan adventures -- including the invention of panic; falling in love with the moon; King Midas; the music contest between Pan and Apollo; and the Battle of Marathon -- Gerstein artfully re-creates not only the finger-in-a-light-socket energy of a spirited child but the way that young kids tell stories: abrupt, arbitrary, and rich with action. "When we got to Sicily, Zeus picked up Mount Aetnaand dropped it on Typhons head. That was the end of the battle." Pictures match words with a hectic, nervous line; Day-Glo colors; an uppercase hand-lettered text; and a page divided into dozens of varied panel arrangements. Pan is so anxious to get the story started that we dont even get the title page until the third spread. A genial authors note and brief list of sources give us some context without squelching this little goat god one iota. sarah ellis (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

The goat-footed god of "noise and confusion" (also herds and herders) offers up giddy versions of his best known pranks and exploits. Starting from ancient sources but embellishing them considerably, Gerstein sends his irrepressible narrator bounding through cartoon scenes of his own birth to Hermes and an unnamed motherboth golden-hairedand early stay atop Mount Olympus. Quickly wearing out his welcome there, Pan settles in rustic Arcadia, where, in a rare moment of irritation sparked by an ant's sneeze, he invents "panic" with a bellow that extends in electric colors over three full pages. He then goes on to marry Echo after several false starts, help Zeus settle the monster Typhon, lose a music battle to Apollo, help the Greeks win at Marathon, and fake everyone by announcing his own death. Along with making Typhon female, lining up the retired gods in modern dress for a family photo "somewhere in Greeceor is it Canada?" and other tweaks, the author tucks in the story of how Apollo changed King Midas' ears to those of a jackass ("a mean trick, but it sure was funny") and closes with a final frazzling "YEEEAAAHOOOO!" from the hairy trickster in an unidentified city park. If ever there was a god of fun, here he isno mythtake. (afterword, bibliography). (Picture book/mythology. 7-11) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.