Be Patient, Pandora!

Mini Myths

by Joan Holub, Leslie Patricelli (Illustrations)

When Pandora is warned by her mother not to open a box, her spirited curiosity trumps her obedience. Pandora harmlessly touches the box, innocently leans on the box, and eventually, albeit accidentally, bursts the box open! The cupcakes that were hidden inside are ruined, except for one last vestige, which Pandora presents in the hope that her mother still loves her. Leslie Patricelli’s depictions of this physical comedy bring a lively narrative to Joan Holub’s carefully crafted text. Includes a summary of the original Pandora’s Box myth at the end.

Ages 1-4, board book. First in series.

Genres: Picture Books, Mythology, Childrens, Fiction, Retellings, Food

24 pages, Board Book

First published September 16, 2014

About the author

NY Times bestselling children's book author:
GODDESS GIRLS series + HEROES IN TRAINING series (w Suzanne Williams); THIS LITTLE TRAILBLAZER a Girl Power Primer; ZERO THE HERO; I AM THE SHARK. Lucky to be doing what I love!

Reviews

[Oh My Bookness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mini Myths; Be Patient, Pandora is a modern day parable, mythology based about a young Pandora. The Mini Myths; Be Patient, Pandora is based around Pandora and "her box" with a twist. Be Patient, Pandora by Joan Holub and illustrated by Leslie Patricelli brings Greek Mythology to the young in a fun and simplistic and easy, fun to understand way in this board book.

Young Pandora is told not to open the box, but her curiosity gets the better end of her. She cannot resist getting closer and closer to it. From just touching,to sitting on it....well just until her curiosity gets the better of her, rips the package open. In a tale filled with a lesson to be learned, followed by cute and fun illustrations by Leslie Patricelli and text by Joan Holub, pandora teaches the lessons of Hope, love, curiosity with patience. At the end of the story follows the original myth summarizing Pandora and the Box given to her by Zeus after being sent down to earth by the gods. Knowing the box did belong to her, her curiosity got the best to her and had to know what is in the box. What would follow would make all suffer, but what lastly remained in the box would be HOPE, which meant love and happiness was still possible.

A book to be enjoyed by the young will let all readers enjoy the story with its fun illustrations.

[Gregory Bray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been a fan of mythology be it Greek, Roman, Norse etc. This was a great way to introduce my son to it. We liked how the story of Pandora was updated and retold ending with a nice lesson of love. The last page tells the story from the original mythology for comparison. Hopefully now thanks to the book, my son knows that even if he touches something I told him not to, that I still love him.

[Shannon Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an adorable board book that I think all children can relate to. It is quite short and has few words so this would be such a great "learning to read" book! My two year old absolutely loves the illustrations. They're so simple yet so bright and really bring the story to life. We read this book almost every night and almost every night it brings about a great conversation between my daughter and I. For example, we talk about the last time she showed a lack of patience, or how sometimes Mommy has to work on her patience as well.

I love at the end of the book after Pandora apologized, she asked her Mom if she still loved her and her mom reassured her that she did love her. I think this is a really big deal for kids as they sometimes associate doing something "bad" as being bad and risking their parents' love. I want my children to know that no matter what they do, I will always love them. After reading the book, my daughter and I talked about that very subject-- even though some of things she does are not good, Mommy and Daddy will always love her.

Basically, this has been such a great book for our family and we cant wait to see what other board books Joan Holub writes! I did receive this book for my honest and unbiased review. I would never recommend something that I didn't absolutely love and all opinions are completely my own.

[Jaymie Shook · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Be Patient, Pandora!” fit in well with our household experiences. Little man doesn’t wait well. I’ve been trying to teach him with the mantra “What is being patient? Waiting without whining!”

In the book, the little girl finds a wrapped present that her mom tells her to leave alone. While Pandora keeps herself from straight out opening the box, she gets a little closer to it, nudges it, stands on it, and jumps on it. When she jumps on it, the box opens by itself, and ruined cupcakes fly out. Pandora is worried that her mom won’t love her anymore, but of course Mom banishes that thought quickly. Great lesson, though. Next time Max starts to whine, I just have to remind him that he might ruin the cupcakes!

At the end of each story is a page that summarizes the myth. While it’s a lot of text on one page for my boys right now, I do love the introduction to Greek mythology. It was one of my favorite concepts to learn in elementary school!

[Vera Godley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pandora is typical of any small child when there is an unopened surprise or gift. "Do not open the box..." is tantamount to stirring the ever present curiosity that is innate in the child. So she looks. She approaches. She touches. She sits upon it...... well, you kind of get the idea that "Pandora's box" is ultimately opened.

While this state of curiosity and disobedience is natural in a child, they need to learn to manage it. In the Mini Myths series for the very young child, Pandora is nicely handled. I think the "myth" that is explained at the back of the book is perhaps understandable by the 5-year and older child; it will be a bit lost on the younger audience. I would recommend this for someone who wants to teach control of curiosity to a young child.

[Cyndi Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, first it is made ( if you get the physical copy) of a thick cardboard so won't tear with small hands, could be wiped off easy. And for any one loving mythology this is a great "start" to getting your tiny ones into it. this is based on Pandora's box. But the story is all about patients and how a child can push it and push it, we all know how that is... I am just touching it, I am only leaning on it... and so on, it has great fun pictures. And your child will love looking at it with you or alone it is easy enough for them to "read" on there own, and with you, great from the start of when you want to bring books into the picture and then all the way thru the pre k years. I loved this book, and so did the lil ones.

[Holly Letson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book from a contest held by the author, Joan Holub.
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I mentioned before how much I love these little books. (See my review on Mini Myths: Play Nice, Hercules!.) Cute and sweet, they are fun retellings of tales from mythology.
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This one is about Pandora and her box that she should never open. Pandora keeps telling herself that she will not open the box, since her mother told her not to. But, she will do everything but, which--of course--causes the box to open. She is only sorry, when it is too late. But, her mother still loves her.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

These two first books in the new Mini Myths series are a cheerful mix of mythology and toddlerhood. Pandora explores the temptation of a wrapped present and how hard it can be to wait to open it. Pandora is told to leave the present alone, but just can’t seem to stop herself from touching it, leaning on it, and accidentally opening it. Hercules is told to play nice with his little sister, but Hercules is much more interested in knocking things down than being nice. In the end of both books, the myth becomes more about manners and how to be with others.

[RedBookBuyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So completely hilarious! Pandora's expressions are adorable and the story not only captures the myth, Pandora is any child told not to do something. "I'm just touching it..." For the same demographic who enjoyed Darth Vader & Son.

Would love a poster or print of mischievous Pandora creeping towards the box (my favorite illustration in the book.)

[Bonnie Rediske- · Rating 5 out of 5]

My four year old was highly engaged in this story even though it was short and sweet. She was glued to each page wondering what was going to happen. I could see the little wheels turning in her head, trying to figure out the end game. Her favorite part was when mommy said I love you.

Great story!

[Vincent Noot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haha! That’s exactly what curious little kids do! They touch it, hold it upside down walk around it... anything they can do without opening what they’re not supposed to open. I am eager to teach our kids (which will hopefully come in the next near future) patience through this cute little story. The facial expressions the illustrator drew are priceless. Great job!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pandora is told by her adult to not open the box, but she isn't very good at following directions. Readers will connect to her impatience, though there isn't a lot of discussion afterward about consequences, which some readers could feel lacks appropriate deterrent. The discussion of the original myth is also not required to enjoy the story. This book has slightly wider appeal than some of the others in the series, in that it can apply to any present situation.

For: fans of myths/Classics; readers looking for a book about being patient/following directions.

Possible red flags: not listening to one's adult.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Greek mythology and the characters. This book illustration is simple, neat and clean enough for a toddler to understand the feelings conveyed. The mini story ends beautifully. No matter what, a mother always and will love her child. My toddler went a little emotional and hugged me several times.

[Zechariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how this book adapts a traditional Greek mythology character and fashions it into something relatable for young children. Helps to teach things like obedience too. There are not many words for this book, so it is also up to the reader to narrate, which is cool because there can be different versions when read by different people!

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mini Myths series are simultaneously really cute board books that little kids will enjoy, teaching lessons and having silly characters; AND they are also wildly inventive ways of reinterpreting classic myths into stories that kids can understand and appreciate without needing to know the background at all. LOVEEE this series

[Eva_Amaré · Rating 2 out of 5]

This will likely not be our only venture into mythology, so hopefully it gets better. Not the most word-y book, which is not a bad thing, but this didn't really tickle our fancy. We love the end though, because just as we suspected mamas will love us no matter what. It's like their job or something.🎁

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack borrowed this book from the Oxford Public Library. I picked it because it looked cute.

I read the book while Jack was playing in his crib. It didn't have a lot of words, but I used an excited voice and explained what Pandora was doing. Jack got more and more excited throughout the book. At the end, when Pandora's mom said she loved her, Jack said, "Love you, Mama!"

[Harumichi Mizuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si kecil Pandora sudah dilarang untuk membuka kotak oleh ibunya. Namun, ia penasaran dan bermain-main dengannya. Akibatnya kotaknya rusak dàn isinya berhamburan ke mana-mana. Sebenarnya aneh sih melihat cupcake segitu banyak bisa muat di kotak segepeng itu hahaha.

Lagi, sebuah reinterpretasi yang menggemaskan.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review of Please Share, Aphrodite! for general thoughts on this series.

[Melissa Swistek · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite mythical retelling for babies.

Pandora really wants to see what is inside the box her mom brought home. When she opens it up prematurely, she makes a mess. Had she practiced the virtue of patience, this would have been avoided.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this contemporary, Greek myth-inspired, story about curiosity and rules, apologies and forgiveness. Back matter includes a synopsis of the original Pandora’s Box tale. I’ll be reading more of these.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to patience for littles.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

i've always loved the story of pandora and this one doesn't disappoint. Cute and fun
What could be in the box that Pandora has been told not to open?

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one. Teaches mythology and life lessons and it's cute!

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This basically distills the Pandora story down to behavior that a preschooler would 100% absolutely do.

[Andrés · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good way to gain an introduction to the classic myth!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this!

[Johanna Florez · Rating 5 out of 5]

the illustrations omggggg

[Jenny H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary of the Book:
Pandora knows she should listen to her mother. She knows she shouldn't touch the package sitting right there within her reach. But, she just cannot help herself. She isn't going to open it. Oh no! She is only going to do everything BUT open the package. Unfortunately, her impatience leads her to destroy the delectable cup cakes her mom has brought home. Pandora quickly learns the importance of patience, and more importantly, she is shown forgiveness by her mother.

Our Review:
These two board books (including also Play Nice, Hercules!) are absolutely captivating reads for toddlers. The brilliant balance between sparse words, dialogue, and colorful illustrations makes both of these books inviting and friendly, while at the same time teaching important lessons. It is obvious that the author and illustrator worked closely together to bring out each others' strengths. The pages alternate between concisely worded text playing off of the illustration to pages with only illustrations. Because of this, the books beg for the reader to act out the naughty behavior of each character or the reactions of the other characters involved.

Each book also has a summary of the actual Greek Myth character from which the stories are based at the end of the book. I found this really useful because I hadn't read any Greek Mythology since elementary school, which was a long time ago. I especially liked how the blocks in Play Nice, Hercules! had images of each of the labors that Hercules had to face. Knocking those blocks over in the book was not only funny to my daughter but also symbolic.

These books make great lessons on manners and would be excellent in a preschool classroom. Children will be able to easily relate to the temptations of both Hercules and Pandora, which will make understanding the importance of being kind to your family and having patience interesting and straightforward.

My 2 year old likes the Play Nice, Hercules! the best, while my seven year old informed me that Be Patient, Pandora! is better. This makes complete sense since my youngest is always knocking over blocks and other things and my oldest may need to work on her patience. I am looking forward to reading these with Little J as she grows to see how well she actually understands the lessons being taught. Since receiving these books from Ms. Joan Holub a couple months ago, we have read them more times than I can count. They have been read to the dog, stuff animals, and little doll house figurines. I can usually find them in bed with Little J because she carries them up there during nap time. She shouts, "Oh! No" every time Hercules knocks down the castle or Pandora makes the cup cakes go flying. These facts, so much more than the words I use in my review, prove that these books are great.

[Kathryn (Dragon Bite Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog, Nine Pages .

Last month I read and then praised Play Nice, Hercules! , a Mini Myths book written by the same team. I expected to like Be Patient, Pandora! I won’t again go into the credentials of the team, which are excellent. Be Patient, Pandora! like Play Nice, Hercules! retells the myth in a modern setting and with a similar but more commonplace situation for a toddler audience and then includes in the back a summary of the myth for a slightly more mature audience.

Holub and Patricelli’s tale tells of a young Pandora who finds a wrapped present on the floor, which her mother forbids her to open. Like many children, Pandora bends the rules. Her anticipation of the present too great to leave the box alone, she pokes it, jumps on it, and unintentionally destroys the packaging and what the box contains: cupcakes, which is a very interesting substitution for all of the evils of the world. My Classics professor introduced us to the argument among scholars as regards the Hope (elpis) that remained in Pandora’s jar. Holub and Patricelli probably wisely don’t engage in whether the Hope is a blessing or a blight, loosed or withheld but Pandora does say that she hopes that her mother still loves her, a nod to the Hope that remained in the jar.