Snake Hair

I had the chance to read this book to a small group of girls (sorry no boys in my group today) in my daughter's first grade class and they were absolutely agog over it. Normally they chat and talk and fidget, like six y.o.'s will do, while they take turns doing their book reports. But when I was showing them the pictures and reading the story there was dead silence and open mouths. They simply loved it, and I don't know of a better testimonial. Now lest you think this is kiddy 'chic lit', my four y.o. son likes it as well. And one of the reasons for this is that the book is just as much about Perseus as it is Medusa. [Medusa obviously had a better press agent and, of course, makes for an intriguing cover.] In fact though, we leave the unfortunate former-beauty on page 11 and don't take up with her until some pages later. Instead, we become involved with our hero, Perseus, who we find in the company of a very naughty king who wants him gone and done away with. To accomplish this, the king asks Perseus to kill Medusa. [Note to moms, dads, and other caregivers: murder is a frequent theme in this book.] Being clueless as to the king's real intent, Perseus agrees. But not being a knucklehead, Perseus goes and asks the gods for help. [Another note to adults: young children may ask what this multiple god business is all about, so you might want to have an explanation ready.] Hermes (Mercury for you Romanists) gives him a nifty pair of winged sandals, and Athena gives him a shield which is shiny like a mirror. (Athena really had it out for Medusa, didn't she?!) There is actual drama in this little book. And it is fun to read. I stopped and asked my children what they thought Perseus would do. How would he use the shield? How would he slay the sea monster? (If you don't remember, he ran across Andromeda who was about to be eaten.) Five Stars. Great Read-aloud. Great artwork. Good introduction to ancient literature for young folk. Both my children enjoyed it: The book has fairly simple text, if you ignore the names of the characters, but there is a lot of it. 48 pages. Non-graphic violence. Medusa looses her head, and some people and creatures are turned to stone.

The cut paper illustrations by Susan Swan are the chief charm of this All Aboard Reading Level 2 (Grades 1-3) book written by Stephanie Spinner. "Snake Hair" is, as the sub-title indicates, "The Story of Medusa," who in this version is a vain young girl who makes the terrible mistake of saying that her hair is more beautiful than that of Athena. The angry goddess change's Medusa's hair to snakes and makes her so ugly her look will turn any living thing that looks at her to stone. What follows is the story of the hero Perseus, who is aided by the gods to fulfill his destiny. The illustrations here by Swan are absolutely exquisite and I find it incredible that these were actually cut by hand and are not computer generated (look at the chains on Andromeda, for example). Teachers who use this book in class should be prepared for young students wanting to try their hand at this particular art form (I could never, ever do this).One of the interesting things about classical mythology are the different variations that exist on the story of Medusa, Perseus and many others...Other myths tell of Medusa as being one of the three Gorgons, who were dragonlike creatures with wings whose look turned men to stone. In some myths it is said that Pegasus, the winged stallion, was born of the Gorgon's blood after Perseus slew Medusa (the one Gorgon who was not immortal apparently). As for Medusa's head, it supposedly becomes part of the aegis, the shield of Zeus carried by Athena. Consequently, having been introduced to the wonderful world of mythology, young readers will have many more fascinating tales to read and learn about in the years to come.

Medusa is one of the most memorable characters from all of Greek mythology. "Snake Hair: The Story of Medusa" is an effective retelling of her story. Stephanie Spinner's simple text (geared towards 1st to 3rd grade readers) is well complemented by Susan Swan's fine illustrations. Author Spinner thoughtfully provides pronunciation guides for the mythological names."Snake Hair" tells how the beautiful Medusa is punished for her boastful pride by being transformed into a monster with snakes for hair and a face so ugly that anyone who looks at it is turned into stone. As the story progresses, the monstrous Medusa is confronted by the hero Perseus (who will face yet another monster before the story ends).What makes this version of the ancient story really special is the marvelous artwork. Swan's illustrations appear to be cut-paper collages, and they are alive with color and energy. Particularly impressive are her renderings of the multicolored tangle of serpents that make up Medusa's hair. Overall, a well-done book.

Medusa was a very beautiful Greek woman who was proud of her hair. She combed it lovingly each day and thought it her most beautiful feature. However, being foolish as well as beautiful, she one day made the mistake of saying that her hair was even more beautiful than Athena. "That," reads the story, "was a big mistake."The rest is, as they say, history. Athena, in a fit of rage, turns Medusa's hair into a nest of writhing, wriggling snakes. Medusa's skin turns green and scaly. She is so horrifying, that as she flees into the forest, animals turn to stone.Years pass and young Perseus decides to go forth and kill Medusa. The king is pleased with Perseus, not because Medusa will no longer be a threat, but because the king secretly does not like Perseus-- "he wanted Perseus to fail. He hoped Perseus would die."Outfitted with a shiny shield and flying sandals by other gods, Perseus seeks out and does manage to kill Medusa. On his way home, he finds the beautiful Andromeda chained to a rock as a giant sea monster approaches. Perseus rescues the young, beautiful woman, and returns home to the king.The story of Medusa is as old as civilization itself. Ms. Spinner has made the story very accessible to young readers in grade 1-3, and the illustrations by Ms. Swan are detailed and astonishing. Each picture is a photograph of 3-dimensional cut paper collages which are sometimes very complicated, like the tangled mess of snakes on Medusa's head. The collages clearly must have taken hours to cut and assemble, making this a beautiful work of art as well as a good story for beginning readers.The text by Ms. Spinner is short but not choppy. It flows well from beginning to end without being confusing, which will help children who are just learning to read. The subject is a good one-- a hideous creature turning people to stone just by looking at them! It certainly will hold a child's interest! Ms. Spinner has also included pronunciation guides to the Greek names, which will not only aid in decoding, but will help reinforce breaking words into syllables. Though short and intended for beginning readers, this is a wonderful book and clearly the author and illustrator took their time and intended it to be a story that will be read over and over again. As a teacher, I would recommend this story to be including in a beginning basal reader, or multiple copies used for group reading. Art teachers could easily use this book as well to discuss 3-D rendering and collages for all grade levels.Masterfully executed, a highly recommended book!!

I bought this book sight unseen and was extremely pleased. This is a early reader for 1-3 grades but my 3.5 year-old son loves it. It tells the story of Medusa and and how Perseus slayed her and killed the sea serpent to save Andromeda. The Greek names have instructions on how they are pronounced. The illustrations are particularly appealling - photographed paper collages that give them a 3-dimensional look. Medusa's hair is made of multi-colored, multi-patterned paper snakes! This is good little book!