About the Book and Author
Cultures around the world celebrate tales and myths of daring and brave goddesses.
In this book you will be introduced to twenty-one legendary ladies who were tenacious, smart and strong.
· Osun, the Yoruba goddess of love who refuses to be dismissed because of her gender and stands up to those who believe women are less important than men
· Rhiannon, the Welsh queen of fairies who won’t let anyone make decisions for her and instead follows her heart
· Freyja, the Norse goddess of love and death who doesn’t give into pressure, sets boundaries and is comfortable with being a single independent woman
From demanding respect and recognising unhealthy relationships, to standing your ground, helping others and using words instead of violence, these rich and sometimes forgotten female stories of the ancient past teach girls and young women everything they need to know, so they can be just as fierce and fearless in the future. Each goddess is creatively depicted by illustrator and visual artist Taylor Dolan.
Jean Menzies is an ancient historian and author from Scotland. Jean completed her PhD in 2022, with a focus on gender, myth, and rhetoric in Ancient Greece. Outside of academia she has dedicated her career to making ancient history and mythology accessible to a wider audience – knowing very well that she owes her own discovery of the subject to children’s books and Xena: Warrior Princess. Her first book Greek Myths: Meet the Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of Ancient Greece was published by DK in 2020 and won the Books Are My Bag Breakthrough Author Award that same year.
Taylor Dolan was born into a house of stories and raised in Texas. Being a happy booknerd, she attended the Cambridge School of Art for her Master’s Degree in Children’s Book Illustration. She was overjoyed to find a whole herd of booknerds to spend quality time reading quietly together with. She now lives in Arkansas, while using her imagination to pretend she still lives in Cambridge.
Book Review
'Don't shy away from demanding the respect you deserve.' That's my favourite quote from this book
… ‘Don’t shy away from demanding the respect you deserve.’ That’s my favourite quote from ‘Live Like A Goddess’ It’s an absolutely amazing book and everyone should to read it!
One of the things I really enjoyed was the illustrations. At first, I thought they looked a bit weird but then I grew to love them. They’re lively and abstract and just incredible!
They represent the goddesses in ways that imagination couldn’t, with some wearing loads of jewellery whereas others were portrayed holding a staff.
I think, I if had to choose a favourite goddess out of all the ones in this book, I think it would be Artemis, because she made her own path, knew what she want and wasn’t afraid to tell Zeus what it was. She was brave and bold and that’s what I love about her.
One of the most important messages in this book is that girls can do anything and everything. We are undermined in society for being female and that is NOT fair. We should be allowed opportunity in life and that is exactly what these goddess’ want. To be equal.
Anyway, overall, this was a really inspiring book that I would rate 10/10 and perfect for anyone, really 🙂
If you would would like to buy a copy of the book we invite you to order it from your local independent book shop.
Or, you can shop on-line and support our Kids Reviews page by sourcing your discounted book via this link
Alternatively, we suggest that you visit your local library and request to borrow a copy from a friendly librarian.
Whichever you choose we hope you enjoy being part of your unique reading community – happy reading everyone!
Reviewer Profile
- Name: Reeya
- Age: 13 years
- Likes: Reading, Writing, Cassandra Clare books
- Dislikes: Maths and Science
- Favourite Book: Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
- Favourite Song: Game of Survival by Ruelle
- Favourite Film: City of Bones
