I Am Hermes!: Mischief-Making Messenger of the Gods by Mordicai Gerstein

Abstract

Reviewed by: I Am Hermes!: Mischief-Making Messenger of the Gods by Mordicai Gerstein Elizabeth Bush Gerstein, Mordicai I Am Hermes!: Mischief-Making Messenger of the Gods; written and illus. by Mordicai Gerstein. Holiday House, 2019 [72p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-8234-3942-3 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-8234-4203-4 $11.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 3-5 According to the yarn spun here by the Greek god Hermes, he wasn't always the Olympian messenger; it was his mischief-making that led to the job. By the time he was two hours old, he had snuck out of his cradle, conned shell and horns from a turtle and a goat, and fashioned the first lyre. At a day old, he had charmed his relatives, swiped his brother Apollo's prized cows and sold them back in a sweet little trade, and almost convinced Zeus he was nothing more than an innocent baby. He'll also have you know he was a big deal back in the day, helping defeat the giants Otus and Ephialtes; siring the father of Iynx, who turned out to be as much of a troublemaker as her grandfather; and finally, when the Olympian gods had all retired, taking up a gig as god of the internet. This isn't for kids who take their Greek mythology seriously, but a more open-minded audience will just be pleased with the raucous storytelling and perhaps not even suspect just how tamed a take Hermes offers on his own escapades. Vivid line and watercolor cartooning, chapter breaks, and a thoughtful balance between narration boxes and speech bubbles make this an easy sell for kids getting up to speed on longer comic books. An author's note and brief bibliography of adult resources are included. EB Copyright © 2019 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois