Persephone in paperback!

My book ‘Persephone – a journey from winter to spring’ illustrated by Virginia Lee and published by Frances Lincoln, has just come out in paperback. It has a beautiful new cover:

And there is a lovely review in the Saturday Guardian! The book has been recommended by Julia Eccleshare as perfect summer reading for kids!   Thank you! Julia writes:

‘Sally Pomme Clayton captures all the pathos of this story in her lyrical retelling.’

The myth of Persephone continues to be one of my all time favourite myths, which feels an endless mystery that always touches me deeply. There are several versions, some echo the ancient Egyptian myth of Isis and Osiris, or the Babylonian Ishtar and Tammuz, both have journeys into the underworld to search for a beloved and bring them back. When I am performing I sometimes tell a more complex version of the myth. But for  this picture book, I draw on Ovid’s more pared down version, and emphasise the bond between mother and daughter and the inevitable journey towards separation and growth.