Buy Online | Amaterasu: Return of the Sun: A Japanese Myth (Graphic Universe) | Paul D. Storrie



Buy This Book Online
This graphic novel tells the story of Amaterasu, the Japanese Shinto goddess of the sun. Amaterasu's parents create the first eight islands of Japan. Amaterasu's father later puts his children in charge of parts of the natural world. Beautiful and kindly Amaterasu is made the goddess of the sun. But her brother, Susano, god of the sea and storms, is jealous of his sister's position. In fear of Susano's temper, Amaterasu hides in a cave, plunging the world into darkness. The other gods and goddesses must come up with a clever plan to lure Amaterasu from her hiding place and restore order to the world. Amaterasu is just one of the many great graphic stories in the Graphic legends collection. I selected it because I wanted to examine its pedagogical worth and if I ever used it, it would provide a gender balance with the other male-oriented tales. Essentially, the story explains the disappearance of the sun with the rivalry between Amaterasu and her brother Susano. Actually, it is Susano's jealousy that starts the conflict. To make the long story short, Amaterasu hides in a cave to escape the fury of Susano, and then the other gods and goddesses have to figure out how to lure Amaterasu out of the cave. The telling of the story and the graphics make an excellent graphic story that has all the qualities mentioned by James Bucky Carter in Building Literacy Connections with Graphic Novels and in other articles he has written.