Favorite Greek Myths
by Mary Pope Osborne
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Book Summary Information
Author: Mary Pope OsborneBrand: Scholastic
Illustrator: Troy Howell
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1989-05-01
ISBN: 0590413384
Number of pages: 96
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Book Reviews of Favorite Greek Myths
Book Review: A Kid Would Enjoy This
Summary: 3 Stars
... but some adults might get really annoyed. I was drawn immediately to this book when I saw the title. Greek myths were a favorite of mine as a child and I think all children should be acquainted with them. In many ways, this book is very good, in particular with the inclusion of the explanation of modern words of Greek origin. What a great thing to add to a book! The first thing to annoy me, though, was the illustration of King Midas. The artwork in this book is beautifully executed. Howell has a sort of Pre-Raphaelite thing going down, but with what must be an unintentionally funny kink here and there. Midas is pictured crouched down in cartoon-y horror. I moved on. Hey, no wonder Atalanta won all those races if the men were burdened with those heavy bronze helmets and shields. Minerva has the hair and supercilious look of a friend of mine who had a drag act. Wait a minute ... Minerva? I looked at the cover again. This was supposed to be Greek myths! I can see the problem: if you are using Ovid as a base, you get the Roman names and "Favorite Myths of the Greeks and Romans" is too unwieldy. This turned the whole deal sour for me.
Despite the Osborne authorship (which had so heartened me at first glance), my experience with this book went rapidly downhill. And it's a shame, because it is a beautiful book that some kids would treasure all their lives. I wish I could pay compliments to the writing, but I was ready to red-line the least little thing once I got started. Proserpina (who seems to be running without moving a hair) mourns the loss of her life with her mother and refuses to eat, but I didn't find that in the story. That's why that one (or three, depending on the version) pomegranate seed gets her in trouble. If you eat the food of the Underworld, you must stay. I'm left with some questions, too. How exactly was Midas so hospitable to Bacchus? I feel like I've walked in on the middle of some conversation.
One of my coworkers thinks I should get over this. There is just so much good in this book. The stories flow well one to the other, sometimes referring back to a previous story. But if you're an old fuddy-duddy like me, a stickler for minutiae, a veritable pain in the posterior ... where was I? Oh, don't listen to me. Go ahead and buy the book. Or better yet, get it from the library.
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