Daughter of Earth

School Library Journal has a lovely tribute article to Caldecott award winning author and illustrator, Gerald McDermott. He died on December 26 at the age of 71. I only found out recently, and was terribly sad to hear it. There is one book of his that I use frequently for all the grades in my library. Even the 5th and 6th graders are still enchanted with it. It's unlike McDermott's usual work, it is obscure, and tragically, out of print. Daughter of Earth: A Roman Myth tells the Roman version of Persephone and Hades, or, in their Latin names, Proserpina and Pluto.

Children of all ages are enthralled by Greco-Roman mythology. It's a great way to help them on their path to cultural literacy, giving them much needed content knowledge to succeed in high school and college. This breathtaking picture book has striking, colorful illustrations that clearly tell the story. I'm floored that it didn't win a Caldecott, and indeed, went out of print. So if you find this book used online, or in a second hand bookstore, or at a flea market, grab it and treasure it.

For a fun, here is a link to the most adorable, child friendly site about Greek mythology I have ever seen.