1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Brief Introductory Book to Classic Monsters for Small Fry - a review of "Myth. Monsters of Ancient Greece", 5 April 2007
By Pam Tee "Busy Mom @goodbooksforkids.co" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Mythological Monsters of Ancient Greece (Hardcover)
This is one of those artsy books for children in which abstract picture collages are put together with child-like drawings and 'wild' hand lettering. (Take a look at the extra images someone has kindly provided -above-- so that you can get an idea of what everyone is talking about.)
Now I can't help you in regards to the presentation. Some children like abstracts and some don't. But I can say that my just turned 7 y.o. daughter likes this book and she frequently pulls it down to take a gander at it, and that is the point, isn't it.
And one of the good things, I believe, about the stylized presentation is that it does seem to introduce the various mythological monsters in a form that isn't frightening: Argus, Medusa, Pegasus, Siren, Harpie, Scylla, Cyclops, Minotaur, Cerberus, Centaurs, Satyrs, Hydra, Sphinx, and Echidna. And there is so little verbiage that it stands out and sticks in the mind better than perhaps long dissertations might. For example, about Argus, the author writes, in various places on the page:
The monster with 100 eyes.
Even when he was sleeping,
he never closed more than
2 eyes at once.
After his death, the goddess
Hera put his eyes
onto the tail
feathers of
the peacock.
Hermes lulled Argus to sleep with
a song. Then he cut off
his head with 1 stroke of his sword.
Thus you see that children learn not only something about the monsters, but also about their stories and fates. And the little bits of information strewn about the pages isn't likely to be taxing even for the youngest readers.
Four Stars. Abstract trendy artwork is interesting (but may not be for all children). My own daughter likes the book and is now more acquainted with the mythical beasts of old, as well as the heroes that knew and slew them. There are facts, but not so many that a child will be overwhelmed. The only thing I might have wished for is a pronunciation guide.
An excellent book for young children is : Snake Hair (All Aboard Books Reading Level 2)
It is about Medusa and Perseus and all the children (mine and those as school) that I have read it to absolutely adored it.
5.0 out of 5 stars
terrific find!, 14 July 2005
By H.Q.'s Mom - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Mythological Monsters of Ancient Greece (Hardcover)
I picked this up in the bargain bin at my grocery store for my 9 year old son -- who is into juvenile science fiction and fantasy -- in the hopes that he'd be equally interested in mythology. He loves it. He pulls it off his bookshelf frequently and makes references to the creatures in conversation.
5.0 out of 5 stars
MUST-SEE picture book!!!, 11 Jun 2003
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Mythological Monsters of Ancient Greece (Hardcover)
The illustrator have done terrific job on this!
All the illustrations in this book are just fantastic, and compelling. This is not only for children, but also for everyone who loves Greek Mythology and beautiful image.