Demeter & Persephone

Readers meet Demeter, the Greek goddess in charge of grain and growing things, and her daughter Persephone in this illustrated retelling. Under Demeter's care the land enjoys endless summer, with fields, orchards and blossoms thriving everywhere. Persephone, still young, catches the eye of Hades, the solitary ruler of the Underworld, without ever meaning to. He carries her off to his realm, and Demeter tears across the world looking for her, but her search turns up nothing.

Grief drives Demeter into seclusion in her temple. Her mourning stops the harvests and hardens the soil, bringing the first winter to Greece. As hunger spreads among mortals, the other gods and goddesses press Demeter to agree to a match between Persephone and Hades. She refuses to hand her child over to the Underworld for good. The eventual settlement divides the year: Persephone spends part of it below with Hades, which is the winter, and the rest above with her mother, when spring returns to the earth.