Greek Gods And Goddesses

Rating:
Summary: Fifteen classical myths about the Greek gods and goddesses
Review: Author Geraldine McCaughrean and illustrator Emma Chichester Clark previously worked together on "Greek Myths," which focuses on the heroes of classical mythology the way "Greek Gods and Goddesses" tells myths about the deities of Olympus. Consequently, you really should not have one book without the other.

The stories included in this volume cover (1) how the Olympians overthrew the Titans, (2) Hermes as a mischievous baby, (3) Phaeton's fatal ride in his father's chariot of the sun, (4) the birth of Dionysus, (5) the adventure of Dionysus and the pirates, (6) the birth of Athena, (7) how Hephaestus ended up marrying Aphrodite, (8) the story of Aretemis and Apollo, (9) the love story of Apollo and Hyacinthus, (10) the story of Halcyone and Ceyx, (11) how Prince Demo almost became immortal, (12) the Golden Apple of Eris and the abduction of Helen, (13) Cassandra, priestess of Troy, (14) the myth of Sisyphus, and (15) how the eyes of the Argus ended up on the peacock. As you can see, this is a nice collection of stories that covers various aspects of classical mythology. If anything, they show the gods and goddesses in a better light than other choices would have done.

Caughrean retells these ancient myths by keeping the plots simple and avoids lapsing into arcane language. You certainly get a sense of the oral tradition from which many of these myths sprung. Clark's watercolors, some of which are clearly classically influence, capture the charm of these stories. There is something enticing about the playful eyes she gives many of the characters that I really like. The strength of "Greek Gods and Goddesses" is that it is an excellent intermediate version of these classical myths, preparing them for reading Hamilton, Evslin or perhaps even a little Homer down the road.

Rating:
Summary: Engaging art, timeless stories
Review: I like this book for an introduction to Greek mythology. It tells only 15 stories, but each is lavishly illustrated and written with lively dialogue. The vocabulary is deep English, with words like halcyon, burnished, citadel, shyster, and masonry, so your child will need a dictionary nearby or you the parent can read aloud and explain. The titles and manner of telling help make these stories more accessible (understandable) than some other Greek mythologies.

Rating:
Summary: Engaging art, timeless stories
Review: I like this book for an introduction to Greek mythology. It tells only 15 stories, but each is lavishly illustrated and written with lively dialogue. The vocabulary is deep English, with words like halcyon, burnished, citadel, shyster, and masonry, so your child will need a dictionary nearby or you the parent can read aloud and explain. The titles and manner of telling help make these stories more accessible (understandable) than some other Greek mythologies.