I am Hermes! approachable (and fun!) Greek mythology for 8 and up

Hear me roar. For some reason when I say I Am Hermes!, hear me roar just follows naturally. In actuality the official title is I Am Hermes! Mischief-Making Messenger of the Gods.  I say mischief, you say Gods, I may think Loki, but nay, this is the OG, original gods, son of Zeus and daughter of Maia. It’s not a stretch to say that the Gods, their powers, relationships and history are Greek to me. Our two children know more about the Greek Gods than I do and that’s due entirely to through what they’ve learned from their friends.

 Our Greek friends know that Hermes is the one that invented astronomy, the alphabet, gymnastics, music and more. I Am Hermes!, by Mordecai Gerstein paints the legacy of the original king of mischief in a way that those who don’t know Greek about him will be able to enjoy it in many ways.

Presenting educational text in an actual entertaining format is challenging. I know, the Greek gods didn’t really exist, it’s the sort of mythological beings that allow people to dream. It’s not ‘technically’ education in a non-fiction sense, but it’s fun reading and done in a graphic novel format that ages 8 and up will enjoy.

This is a hardback graphic novel that’s the size of a book. Its format is different and is complimented by the Gerstein’s art. Its painted art with watercolors allows some of the color within the panels to blend into each other or outside the lines. The effect is lighthearted and makes the book read very quickly.

I Am Hermes! is broken up into a couple of chapters, with each one telling a specific angle of his life. Again, at times I have to remind myself that Hermes wasn’t a real person. If it’s someone that you’ve heard of for ages then they must be real, right? Hermes was apparently quite the challenging child for his parents. He was often playing jokes on his parents, all the while trying to figure out his place in the world. So, the story of Hermes is unlike any real person and any similarities to erstwhile siblings who might joke around too much is entirely coincidental.

Think of I Am Hermes! as a starter story for a Greek God whose title, Messenger of the Gods is perhaps better known than he is. The vocabulary is such that those in upper elementary school will be able to easily read it and have the life experiences required to appreciate-and learn the lessons that these myths can teach us.