Imogen Greenberg (text) and Isabel Greenberg (illustrator), Gaia, Goddess of Earth, Bloomsbury, July 2022, 64 pp., RRP $29.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781526625700
Gaia: Goddess of Earth has a simply exquisite cover: it’s a deep blue, with Gaia taking centre stage in all her glory. On first glance, I assumed this was a history book aimed at children and introducing them to the story of Gaia.
In reality, this is in essence a graphic novel in hardcover, detailing how Gaia created the world and all its beauty, and did her best to save It, to maintain the peace she thought the world and humanity needed to flourish.
However, she did not count on her husband Ouranos deciding that he should rule earth, or her son Cronus who despite helping her against his father, could not satiate his own hunger for power (and yes, this does go into him eating his children to ensure they never turn against him, but there’s so much more to that).
Gaia saves her grandson Zeus, who helps defeat Cronus, but eventually follows the same path as the men before him – he sought power above all else. In the middle of all this Gaia strives for peace, and to do what is best for humanity – and yes, there’s so much more to that story as well.
What sets this story apart is the contemporary, feminist storytelling that places Gaia at the centre of this tale, with a snarky trio of the Fates filling in the blanks for young readers as the story unfolds.
The art is colourful, bright and is an integral part of this tale – and I found myself scouring every page, getting lost in the beautiful panels.
I cannot recommend this enough!
Reviewed by Verushka Byrow
