Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: From the moment she sprung from Zeus’s head, Athena was extraordinary. Even though some doubted her as a young goddess, Athena never backed down from a fight. Follow along through Athena's adventures from when she sprung right out of Zeus' head through her involvement in the great Trojan war.

Where was this book when I was in middle school? This is definitely a book I would have loved to accompany books like Percy Jackson. The only non-fiction book I had access to were those like Edith Hamilton's Mythology, which were too hard for me when I was a kid. This book is really well done (factual but told as a story children will both learn from and enjoy), and a book I would consider having on my bookshelf even now in adulthood. This definitely belongs in elementary and middle school libraries and is a great resource to introduce young learners to Greek myths. I could easily see this being a series that features all of the major Greek gods (and I would get each one)!

Additionally, the illustrations in this book are great and capture the source material well. They are stylized and look like they jumped off a Greek vase. I wish the ARC was in color because I'm sure they look fantastic fully colored. There are some samples of the coloring on the cover pages provided, and what little color is shown in the ARC is really nice.

A few extra things:
1. Since this is aimed for children, I think a pronunciation guide at the opening glossary and an illustrated map of Greece would be helpful for introducing children to these names and words that they might not be familiar with yet.
2. I don't know if it was because of the formatting, but some of the pages were cut off and missing a few sentences between pages, especially in parts V and VI.
3. I believe the download said that this was an uncorrected proof, but there are a few typing set mistakes and grammar mistakes (like the plural of cyclops is cyclopes not cyclopses for example). But hopefully these will be noticed and fixed.
4. I don't know if I would call this a graphic novel. It's more of a picture book with accompanying illustrations and comic pages.

For goodreads- I received this book as a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Super cute and super informative! This book is a hybrid between graphic novel and picture book, with standard GN text boxes mixed with straight narration. The voice is approachable and friendly for kids, and overall the book does a good job of bringing ancient stories to life.

Imogen and Isabel Greenberg team up beautifully on this mythology-inspired text. There is so much to explore here in terms of Isabel's art, which is lovely as always, and the celebration of these ancient stories in textual and visual ways. Highly recommended.

I originally requested this book because of the topic. Hands down, I LOVE mythology and folklore––it's what I've always been interested in and what I currently study in college. SOOO, I was very excited to see a graphic novel based on Athena intended for children, the next generation of mythology lovers just like me.

My first thoughts were that the cover art was fantastic (which continued to be beautiful throughout the book) and I was happy to see the generally positive reviews on Goodreads! I was also very appreciative of the ARC note that the finished book would be in full color while the ARC was black and white, because I'm not sure if I could have guessed that on my own. It saved the trouble of me being concerned and possibly critiquing the artwork for being colorless, so great job there!

On the artwork, (from what I see in the sneak peak) the color scheme works very well together and compliments the art style perfectly. It's easy to read and see, and enhanced the readers experiences with the artwork. The art style itself is stunning, and I think it's an amazing style choice for a graphic novel of this type, especially for younger audiences. It's easy to tell who's who (especially with each god's representative objects) and the art is consistent for each character.

As for the plot and actual writing, I loved the direction of the layout and it's well formatted for children. I think it's very smart and helpful to have both a cast of characters and a glossary at the end, because all the characters and places and more in mythology is very confusing, even for adults. I loved seeing sight from the beginning that this was a feminist telling of the tale, which is very important for kids to see. The chosen stories were also relevant, as they are some of the most important tales Athena is a part of, plus her actual "birth" which starts it all. There was a good mix of narration and dialogue in this story, leaving the whole book well balanced and easy to read. It was never overwhelming or too much.

The only critiques I have for this graphic novel comes down to the fact that I am an adult studying mythology in college, aka not the target audience and wayyy to informed for any of this information to be new. BUT, I think this book is PERFECT for kids to dip their toes into mythology or for a collection of stories on Athena. The authors do a good job of simplifying the myths to bite sized and appropriate versions that can be enjoyed. Athena's true role in Medusa becoming a Gorgon obviously could never be written for children (and it's even a bit much for adults, to be honest), so the version told here works beautifully.

You also see character growth in Athena which I was not expected; you see her regret her mistake of turning Arachne into a spider and see her punished for it via Paris and and beginning of the Trojan war, which she eventually makes up for and settles her dispute with Aphrodite via Odysseus and his quest home. I love seeing her growth, and she plays a realistic and informative model for children throughout the work.

Overall, I enjoyed this graphic novel and would recommend it to anyone interested in mythology, female driven stories, and kids who would be interested in such a tale. I hope there are more novels in this series, and I'd love to see versions on the other Greek Goddesses, and maybe even some nymphs or other creatures as well.

My rating is 4 stars only because of my role as a too informed adult (which I knew going in), which made this graphic novel feel more like a quick refresher for me, but I definitely would have rated it 5 stars as a kid.

Great introductory read on Athena for children to get to know her. I liked the graphic novel style as well. Very engaging stories were chosen. Well done. Will recommend.

The graphic novel Athena is a short introductory tale about the Greek goddess. Because this is aimed for children, the entire graphic is only a few pages long, and the story is quite basic. Graphics are fine, but I wish there was more color. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a great introduction to the story of Athena! The art was beautiful and the stories were told in a way that appropriate and interesting. I really appreciated the introduction giving some basic information about each of the Gods, Goddesses, Demigods, and important mortals who interacted with Athena. I also appreciated the glossary in the back.

The Greenbergs have created a fun and informative adaptation of Athena’s Greek mythology adventure—perfect for fans of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales and Seymour Chwast’s adaptation of The Odyssey.

The author chose a great selection of stories about Athena to create an engaging narrative of her life. This is an engaging introduction to Athena’s mythology and her most memorable stories. The artwork is great and highlights the narrative well. It’s fun and inviting and fits the tone of the narrative well. Overall I think that young readers will find this to be a great introduction to mythology or for readers who have already developed that interest a great way to learn more about a favorite goddess. All around an enjoyable and informative read.

Thank you to Amulet Books for the e-copy of this book.
Unfortunately, I am unable to read this because the file will not allow me to zoom in. I tried on the Netgalley app on my phone and on Adobe Digital Editions on my computer, but it is just unreadable on my devices. I've loved Isabel Greenberg's work in the past and will look forward to reading this one when it is released.

(I will not be posting this note on any other platforms.)

This graphic novel tells the adventures of the Greek Goddess Athena from her birth to other stories. It tells of her roles in helping several Greek heroes.