Reviews for Arachne speaks

The average rating for Arachne speaks based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2016-06-20 00:00:00 Kyle Mcguire Title: Arachne Speaks Author: Kate Hovey Illustrator: Blair Drawson Genre: Myth Theme(s): Revenge, pride, authority Opening line/sentence: Orb weavers! Brief Book Summary: Arachne, a skilled weaver, refuses to give Athena the honor that a goddess should have and weaves blasphemous pictures of the gods and goddesses. Arachne's attitude upsets Athena who punishes Arachne. Arachne attempts to hang herself to stay free from Athena. However, Athena turns Arachne into a spider. Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2000 (Vol. 68, No. 22)) Both principals narrate this tempestuous, erratically rhymed version of the classic story of the battle between Arachne (in black text) and Athena (in red). When Arachne refuses to share credit for her astonishing woven art with Athena, goddess of weavers, dubbing all of the gods "parasites," she finds herself face to face with the eight-foot-tall goddess herself. Defiantly, Arachne creates a series of tapestries depicting the gods as malicious, ridiculous figures. Recognizing a kindred spirit ("I threw down my disguise, / staring deep into her eyes, / and wondered, drawing nearer, / was I gazing in a mirror?"), Athena hastily has the North Wind destroy Arachne's work, and strikes her with a shuttle, perhaps to forestall more drastic punishment from on high. Arachne "too proud, too strong, too clever," proceeds to hang herself, forcing Athena to transform her into a spider to save her life. Beginning with the blood-spattered cover illustration, and climaxing with a downright eerie close-up of a spider with an eight-eyed, but otherwise human, face and delicate hands and feet on the ends of long, long limbs, Drawson's stylized paintings strongly reflect the story's melodrama. Athena and the gods are presented in strong, firm lines, Arachne and other mortals in slightly softer ones, perhaps as an indication of their stature. It is only when they are face to face, that both are drawn in the same grain. In the end Arachne, still unbowed, crows that Athena is forgotten while her own descendants "thrive / weaving our story again and again, / to the planet's end-- / even then, we will survive." The tale's Freudian overtones may give even adult readers a new perspective on classical mythology; younger ones of a certain temperament will respond to Arachne's furious rejection of authority, however self-destructive that rebellion turns out to be. A powerful, disturbing debut for Hovey. Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children s Books, March 2001 (Vol. 54, No. 7)) Hovey braids strings of couplets into the voices of Arachne, self-made weaver and artisan, and Athena, goddess of wisdom and patroness of weavers. Arachne holds her gift for weaving with fierce possessiveness; she credits only herself for her skill and refuses to pay tribute to the goddess. Her disrespect draws Athena to earth, and the two compete to see who is the mistress of the loom. Arachne weaves a brilliant blasphemy, for which she is severely punished by Athena; in a last effort to maintain her autonomy Arachne hangs herself and wakes "from death's white vision still dangling from the tree." Athena has turned her into a spider, but Arachne has the last word: "Now, hosts of artisans/ spin on in Arachne's name./ Athena, on her throne,/ languishes alone,/ still envying my fame." Death and transformation leave Hovey's Arachne smugly satisfied with the outcome of her encounter with the goddess; not even immortality can win against this determined woman's art. Rhyming couplets can be deadly, but for the most part Hovey has admirable control over any singsong tendencies, and her storytelling is forceful. The narrative-in Arachne's voice, with occasional interpolations by Athena-has a dramatic arc and furious pace that rushes over any rhythmic irregularities in the text. Drawson's acrylics ratchet the intensity up a few notches with their in-your-face perspectives. Monumental views of the stern Athena contrast with framed scenes of the ancient action set as if on a movie screen, complete with toga-garbed viewers. Drawson's uneven but still compelling images are deliberately awkward, and the harsh angularity of line adds a stylized sharpness to the human figures that makes them both distant and startling. The unusual illustrations are certain to attract browsers; the passionate words and images will hold them fast. Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviews elaborate on the eery illustrations that compliment the morbid story. I agree that illustrations are awkward enough to make the characters feel "distant and startling" which works well with a myth that supposedly took place centuries ago. In addition, both reviews commend the use of the rhythmic verse. I found it interesting that the first review mentioned children connecting with the rebellious attitude of Arachne. I agree with the idea, but the story does almost have a morbid ending for rebellious attitudes to consider. Evaluation of Literary Elements: The poetic verse makes the myth a fun and interesting read. I appreciate that Athena's parts are written in italicized, red font. The change in font style and color helps to make an easier read across dialogue. Also, the illustrations adds to the mood of the story. Drawson uses acrylic paint to make dreary depictions of the momentous goddess Athena and the lowly Arachne. Even their different sizes in the illustrations of the characters adds to the point of view. Athena is overbearing in size, while Arachne is smaller to show the different in status. Consideration of Instructional Application: When learning about myths or Greek culture, I would use this book as a class read-aloud. The toga illustrious would be an effective visual for students to see the Greek history. Then, I would have the students create their myth.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-05-27 00:00:00 William Owens With a lyrical, rhyming narrative and expressive acrylic paintings for illustrations, this book is really fun to read aloud. The classic story from Greek mythology was very familiar to us, and we enjoyed this retelling.