Changing Woman and her Sisters: Stories of Goddesses from Around the World

by Katrin Hyman Tchana, Trina Schart Hyman

This celebration of feminine power, beauty, and complexity tells the stories of ten goddesses from cultures the world over. There is tremendous variety in this volume including the stories of Kuay Yin, the compassionate Buddhist goddess; Durga, the fierce Hindu warrior goddess; lx Chel, an ancient Mayan goddess; Changing Woman, the man-faceted Navajo deity, and more. Each story in this dynamic collection is accompanied by an exquisite portrait by the late, supremely gifted illustrator Trina Schart Hyman

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Childrens, Picture Books, Folklore, Middle Grade, Short Stories

80 pages, Hardcover

First published March 15, 2006

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although skeptical of the idea of a prehistoric matriarchal utopia - something mother-daughter team Trina Schart Hyman and Katrin Hyman Tchana evidently believe in, if the author and illustrator notes at the rear of this volume are to be believed - I was mostly pleased with this collection of goddess tales, taken from the various mythological traditions of the world. The tales themselves, running from three to nine pages, were quite engaging, and the collage artwork - though not in Trina Schart Hyman's usual style - appealing.

Ten female deities make their appearance here, from the Navajo Changing-Woman to the Fon Mawu, the Creator. Some - the ancient Egyptian Isis, Mistress of Life and Death; the Sumerian Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth - were already quite familiar to me, while others - the Mayan moon goddess Ix Chel, the Shinto goddess of the sun, Amaterasu - were fairly new. I did wonder a little at the description given for the Celtic Macha, Goddess of Horses, as this figure's origin and nature are quite complex (and sometimes contested). I suppose if the author had included her role, together with (depending on one's source) the Morrígan and the Badb, in the ancient Irish tripartite goddess of war, that would have conflicted with her evident belief (again, according to the afterword) that goddess-worship occurred in an idyllic earlier time of peace and prosperity? One wonders how Durga, the Hindu Warrior Goddess, fits into all of this...

Of course, young readers won't worry about any of that, and I'm certainly glad that they will be exposed to stories and images of female divinity. But the folklorist in me can't help but wince a little. Still, those with an interest in women in folklore and mythology should certainly take a look at this collection, as well as this team's earlier The Serpent Slayer: And Other Stories of Strong Women .

[Jacquelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Nonfiction Reading level: Age 9+
The earth’s people have abandoned their worship of women, and male figures dominate modern day patriarchal religions. Tchana and her mother take us back to a day when Goddesses ruled the planet. Female deities from Africa and Egypt, Inuit and Celtic peoples, Shinto and Hindu faiths, and other cultures join the Navajo’s Changing woman. A paragraph introduces each Goddess and her legacy. The stories are earthy and rich and are accompanied by illustrations from the author’s Caldecott award winning mother. This large, beautiful book comes with extensive source notes from both the author and the illustrator. The writer includes a bibliography with several entries for each story. The artist offers detailed information about each illustration, including her history with the subject and techniques used to represent the different pieces of art. The pictures that accompany the stories are as different as the cultures from which they came. This work truly honors the spirit of women around the world.
Other Goddess stories for children:
The book of Goddesses, Kris Waldherr
Elinda who danced in the sky: an Estonian folktale, Lynn Moroney
Medusa Jones, Ross Collins

[christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! This book features 10 goddesses, each has 1 full page illustration and 3-5 pages of copy. The copy includes a short introduction blurb and then a story/myth about the goddess. The information is concise and well written. The author includes a lot of diverse stories from around the world, and even notes that she avoided including greek and norse goddesses since there are already a lot of books featuring them. My only real beef was that I just wished this book had a bigger art budget, so that the copy pages could be more pretty like the illustrations.
I am really looking forward to reading the author's other mythology book, The Serpent Slayer: And Other Stories Of Strong Women.

-------------

Picture Books About Goddesses & Mythology:
(these books feature myths from all over the world and include sources)

Changing Woman and Her Sisters: Stories of Goddesses from Around the World
★★★★☆
Features 10 goddesses - each has 1 full page illustration and 3-5 pages of copy (includes a short intro blurb and story).

Book of Goddesses
★★★☆☆
Features 26 goddesses - each has 1 full page illustration and 1 full page of copy.

Legendary Ladies: 50 Goddesses to Empower and Inspire You
☆☆☆☆☆
Features 50 goddesses - each has 1 full page illustration and 1 full page of copy.

Goddesses: A World of Myth and Magic
★★★★☆
Features 100+ goddesses - organized in alphabetical order, each goddess has a very short blurb, with full and half page illustrations sprinkled throughout.

The Lady of Ten Thousand Names
☆☆☆☆☆
Features 8 goddesses - each has 1 full page illustration and a few pages of copy.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed reading about the goddesses, many of which I hadn't heard, I couldn't help but also feel a bit sad, because this must have been one of the last books Trina Schart Hyman illustrated before she died. She was my number one favorite illustrator. She had a distinctive style that I'd recognize anywhere. I think I've read just about everything she's ever illustrated. This collaboration between her and her daughter must have been especially pleasing to her. In this book she used a collage style of illustrating, which is different from her normal style. Of course, she mastered it perfectly! I'll miss seeing new books by her, but I look forward to more from her daughter Katrin.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

You won’t find the oft regurgitated Greek goddesses. Instead, Changing Woman and Her Sisters: Stories of Goddesses From Around the World celebrates lesser-known goddesses from cultures all over the world, including the Navajo people, the Inuit people, the Mayans, ancient China, Japan, Sumer (modern-day Iraq), India and more!

Each tale begins with the goddesses name, place of origin, and brief historical context. Many of the tales read like Creation myths and often explain how that goddess came to be. Trina Schart Hyman’s illustrations are atypical; instead of her customary linework, she felt inspired to use collage for the first time. She used materials from around her house – like garden seeds, fleece from her sheep, and cropped photographs of kids she knew – combined with acrylics, ink and glue. The result is illustrations with layers, depth, and new treasures to discover each time they’re viewed.

The Author’s and Artist’s note aren't to be missed. They lend helpful context to both the retold tales and their illustrations. I sincerely appreciate Katrin Hyman Tchana sharing with us her inspiration and motivation: to write a book in which her African American sons could see people who looked like them.

Highly recommended to any reader looking for a collection of lesser-known female goddesses/ deities with the majority being from non-European countries.

5 stars (for its beautiful diversity in both its words and art)

From the same mother-daughter team behind The Serpent Slayer: And Other Stories of Strong Women.

(First posted on Unleash the Flying Monkeys! )

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary (CIP): An illustrated collection of traditional tales which features goddesses from different cultres, including Nafajo, Mayan, and Fon. Notes explian each dogges's place in her cultrue, the reason for the book and how the illustrations were developed.

Review: A well organized and clearly presented collection of goddess stories. One illustration is provided for each goddess and they are fantastic. The stories are told clearly with appropraite degree of detail, and also age appropriate (upper elementary). The author and illustrator both provide lengthy notes in the back for each story in which they describe their personal connection and ideas about the goddesses. I was surprised that these note are mentioned in every review and even the summary.

Mostly positive review from SLJ,"Empowered women are the focus of this collection and empowering young women is seemingly its intention."

Postive Horn Book,"the astonishing abilities and acts of the goddesses determine the atmosphere, inviting readers to notice the imagery and symbolism associated with female deities."

Starred reveiw from Booklist,"Tchana offers a lengthy afterword celebrating the wisdom of the goddesses, forgotten by Earth's peoples but now ready for rediscovery"

All reviews comment on the "Artist's Note".

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with beautiful pictures and stories of Goddesses from all over the world. There are stories of Changing Woman, Macha, Sedna and many other Goddesses I've not heard of before.
These stories are about powerful women, ones with strength, ones who fall in love and much more.

I love this book and its stories. I've been thinking about all the stories, their meanings and lessons that can be learned from them. From Inanna's story I believe we can learn that it is not good to make choices when we are angry because those choices we make in a fit of anger will only hurt us and ones we love.
Sedna's story is a sad one. She foolishly falls in love with a stranger only to find out he is not what he seems, and later, her father betrays her to save his own life.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in Goddesses and to those who enjoy good stories that teach good lessons.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely AMAZING!!! A glimpse of ancient womanhood and great for folklore fans like me! The artwork was beautiful and the stories were well picked; though there is a less gory version of the Sedna story inBest-Loved Folktales of the World.

[Rebecca Goates · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little gory for a children’s book, so I wouldn’t read it to young children. I would recommend maybe 10 and up? Or read it first for yourself and decide. The art is beautiful and the myths are definitely interesting.

[Doria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of goddess myths, drawn from around the world, with each story accompanied by one of Trina Schart Hyman’s gorgeous illustrations.

[Tonya Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of goddesses, beautiful drawings!

[Verónica Zavala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goddesses or female divinities in this book. I love it.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish it was longer and included more myths and more stories.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is magic.

[Lacey Parr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro to several goddess from around the world. The art is exquisite. Don’t pass by the author and artist notes at the end. ✨

[Yasmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best retelling I've come across. She also used the "E" word to describe Inuit people.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lavishly illustrated book retells the myths of a number of goddesses from around the world. Safe for young children!

[Pamela Mettler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the goddess mythology here. Really spoke to me!

[Sam Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an illustrated collection of stories about goddesses aimed at kids.

I have to admit that I prefer Trina Schart Hyman's paintings to these collage mixes, and I think I've read better tellings of almost all the stories in here, so it can't get five stars. But while I might prefer other retellings of these stories and other illustrations, there is no other book that puts these all together. This is the divine companion to The Serpent Slayer, which I liked for similar reasons.

Now that I've complained, I have to admit that I approve of Hyman's reasons for collage. Apart from wanting to expand her artistic horizons, she felt like creating art of these goddesses was a spiritual task and required guidance and permission. I think - even though I don't find the images as appealing - that the artist's connection to the divine does come through. So that's a plus.

And, now that I've told you that I like other retellings better, part of the reason is that this is (as I mentioned) aimed at telling to kids. Myths are often dark and heavy things with elements that earlier times would not have flinched from telling children, but we live in a different world. I suspect some of what I noticed came from a degree of censorship (both by the author and by others), based on a note in the back that talked about how the art was censored. So take that as you will.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a picture book.

This book is written for elementary students, perhaps third grade and older, perhaps will be best appreciated by those about 12 years old. I, however, am much, much older than 12 years and I learned and enjoyed Changing Woman very much. Ms. Tchana's retelling of some of the old and older stories of powerful women figures is readable and interesting and informative. Some stories I was acquainted with and some were new to me, all were a joy to read.

After I read all the stories, I read the Afterword, the author telling a little of how she researched and chose the goddess stories she retold in this book. There is a good bibliography here. Then there's more -- in Author's Note Ms. Tchana relates some of her own story and history of her interest in female natures of God.

And last but certainly not least we have Artist's Note. I am so glad this was included. As Ms. Hyman described her process for each beautiful, full color illustration provided for every goddess story, I turned back to that page and closely appreciated each one. What a treat! I said this is a picture book -- it is a picture book of very good, very delightful art work!

The author of this lovely volume is Katrin Hyman Tchana and the illustrator is Trina Schart Hyman -- a mother-daughter team of creators. How lovely to have so much talent in a family and to have this wonderful result of their cooperative efforts!

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great collaboration between writer Ms. Tchana and illustrator Ms. Hyman. With gorgeous illustrations and in-depth story-telling, the different goddesses of bygone eras are spread in sumptuous detail in this grand picture book. The various fates of each of these beings (not all of them pretty—one goddess is beaten by her jealous husband, another is maimed by her cowardly father) are often about epic struggles and trials that need to be overcome before each goddess can attain her rightful power. Some goddesses are strong, some are tricky and others demonstrate a capacity for sympathy beyond anything mortal. All are fascinating beings. Some of them (like Kuan Yin) are still revered today and these stories outline why humans paid them their worship. This is an exemplary storybook for children and adults alike.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is obviously written for younger kids, but I still enjoyed it. Simple writing style aside, the ten legends of goddesses from all around the world were well-portrayed. My favorite feature of this book was the art. Five stars for the illustrations, beautiful collages of photos, paper, cloth, and paint. The artist also did a good job of capturing and adapting the art styles of the various cultures.
You can see some of the images here. (Scroll down a bit. They're on sale as prints.)
http://www.childatheartartgallery.com...

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely mother-daughter collaboration collecting goddess stories from various cultures around the world. Older children will be interested to see how certain stories share similarities with other familiar tales (Inanna is a Sumerian goddess whose story contains aspects of Persephone's tale). The illustrations, Hyman's last, are different from her usual work in that they are collages, but they still have that magical quality all her work holds.

[Joni · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories are a bit gruesome at times, but we need these stories of the Life/Death/Life goddesses, as Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes calls them. The woman destroyer and giver of life, mother nature, mother goddess. There are stories here from all over the world. Will definitely read again or look to purchase.

[Erin Sterling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book about goddesses from around the world. The stories were too long, trying to encapsulate too much about the various goddess stories, thus losing the core of the story for me.

[Liaken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork, interesting stories. The afterword by the writer and artist is the best part of the book.

[Emily]

Read: Kuan Yin, the Compassionate; Durga, the Warrior Goddess; Isis, Mistress of Life and Death

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful resource if you're looking for bedtime stories that showcase powerful women to read to little ears. I wondered about the accuracy of 1 or 2 of them. GORGEOUS illustrations.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories of Goddesses from other cultures. A little nudity.

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures are suck-you-in gorgeous, and the stories are just the right length for reading out loud. I want more.