Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collections
Publication
National Geographic Kids (2011), Edition: Reinforced Library ed., 208 pages
Description
Juvenile Nonfiction. Sociology. Named a School Library Journal Best Book and a Eureka! Silver Honor Book, Treasury of Greek Mythology from award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli introduces a new generation to the enthralling tales of ancient Greece. From Zeus and Apollo to Perseus and Medusa, the mythical figures presented here are sure to capture the imagination of young listeners everywhere.
User reviews
LibraryThing member HarperKingsley
The stories were heavily edited for a child audience, but I still gave it a 4-star rating because of the beautiful illustrations. There's just something about the artwork that really appeals to me and it was a plus that there are nearly as many pictures as there are pages of text.
LibraryThing member gradschool14
This book play out like a soap opera full of the who's who of ancient times. A nice introduction to Greek mythology helped out by colorful and interesting illustrations.
LibraryThing member drhode3
This was one of my most favorite topics to learn about even when I was young. I remember being mesmerized by the crazy stories about who was in charge of what part of the world, what they did. The stories were fascinating, filled with wonder and I couldn’t believe that these stories lasted for
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1000s of years. This particular collection of stories is written in a way that the reader is on a journey experiencing each story first hand rather than just telling the story as if it were fact. This can be seen in every story like in the story of Zeus; it says “Zeus’ heartbeat raced. It filled his head. It filled his whole self.” The one thing I believed that the book did really well on was their use of extra-textual features. In each story you will see side notes and pictures that describe what is happening in the text. The pictures are detailed drawing of each god and all of them are different and unique. At the end of the book they even have timelines, maps, and quick little bios of each god with short description. Show Less
LibraryThing member rwoody
Summary:
classic stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters
Personal reflection; I realy like this book it has all the greek mythology, map of Greece,time line, and cast of characters
Classroom use; absolutely must have for class room. The illustration is amazing and children will just enjoy
classic stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters
Personal reflection; I realy like this book it has all the greek mythology, map of Greece,time line, and cast of characters
Classroom use; absolutely must have for class room. The illustration is amazing and children will just enjoy
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flipping threw looking at the pictures and getting introduce to mythology. Better suited for 5 Th graders an older. Show Less
LibraryThing member danaenicole
This is a nice collection of Greek myths and the illustrations are beautiful. I'd love to have a copy of this in my classroom someday.
Plus, it has my name in it. ;)
Plus, it has my name in it. ;)
LibraryThing member MeaghanRyan
Beautifully illustrated collection of Greek mythology.
LibraryThing member benuathanasia
I have read most, if not all, of these myths in their original forms and WOW did Napoli destroy them. Most are horribly watered down, or pared down to almost nothing, or censored, or just completely butchered. What a crappy, crappy collection!
LibraryThing member Linyarai
Partnered with National Geographic, Donna Jo Napoli put together a great collection of stories. The artwork was beautiful and the characters had a lot of personality.
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
American author Donna Jo Napoli and British illustrator Christina Balit, whose other collaborations include books on ancient Egyptian and Norse mythology, the stories of the Bible, and the Arabian Nights, here focus on the world of Greek mythology. Beginning with Gaia, and the creation of the
After greatly enjoying Napoli and Balit's Treasury of Egyptian Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Monsters & Mortals, I expected to find Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters just as engaging. Unfortunately, I was often distracted and put off by the narrative tone here, which seems very invested in offering moral judgment of the mythological characters being described. A great deal of attention is paid to Zeus' many wives, and while this does reflect the mythology, the asides about how he was 'entitled' felt intrusive. In the story of Perseus, Polydectes is described as acting "in the selfish tradition so common of kings," whereas Perseus himself is described as being clever but heartless, killing Medusa, who had "done no wrong." Similarly, the scene in which Perseus rescues Ariadne contains a rather snide comment about the heroine being the classic 'maiden in distress.' Theseus' action in abandoning Ariadne is described as the "least fine moment of his life." It's not so much that I disagree with all of these conclusions - one can't read Greek mythology without wincing a bit at the violence, injustice and oppression that were part of the ancient world - but I don't require the author to come to those conclusions for me. It's also interesting to note that this moralizing doesn't carry over to the female characters, even when they do horrific things. When Medea murders her own children to be revenged upon Jason, there's no extraneous commentary, nor is Helen of Troy condemned for betraying her husband - everything is apparently the gods' fault, when women do wrong.
I was really quite surprised at my reaction here, and wonder whether, being more familiar with Greek mythology than Egyptian, I was better able to concentrate on issues of tone and storytelling here, than in Treasury of Egyptian Mythology, where so many of the stories were previously unknown to me. It doesn't seem reasonable to suppose that the tone there was so different than here, but I simply don't recall being put off by it, to any great extent. Given my reaction to the storytelling here, this might have been a two-star book for me. Fortunately, I am a great admirer of illustrator Christian Balit's work - indeed, she is the reason I have tracked these collections down - and I greatly enjoyed the visuals here. The vibrant colors, the boldly stylized figures, the use of gold accents and decorative borders - I found the whole thing gorgeous, and awarded an extra star accordingly. In the end, I think there are better collections of Greek mythology out there for children, starting with the classic (and best all-time!) D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, and I would definitely recommend that title over this one. This, I would recommend chiefly to fellow Balit fans, who will undoubtedly enjoy the artwork.
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world, the narrative here explores the stories of the Titans, and then the Olympians. All of the major Greek gods are included - Gaia, Uranus, Chronus, Zeus, Hestia, Poseidon, Athena, Hades, Demeter, Apollo, Artemis, Hera, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, Ares, Helios, Selene, Dionysus - as well as heroes like Perseus, Orion, Heracles, Jason and Theseus. The final story is devoted to the Trojan War, and the book concludes with an extensive afterword, including a map, timeline, cast of characters, bibliographic note, list of sources, and index...After greatly enjoying Napoli and Balit's Treasury of Egyptian Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Monsters & Mortals, I expected to find Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters just as engaging. Unfortunately, I was often distracted and put off by the narrative tone here, which seems very invested in offering moral judgment of the mythological characters being described. A great deal of attention is paid to Zeus' many wives, and while this does reflect the mythology, the asides about how he was 'entitled' felt intrusive. In the story of Perseus, Polydectes is described as acting "in the selfish tradition so common of kings," whereas Perseus himself is described as being clever but heartless, killing Medusa, who had "done no wrong." Similarly, the scene in which Perseus rescues Ariadne contains a rather snide comment about the heroine being the classic 'maiden in distress.' Theseus' action in abandoning Ariadne is described as the "least fine moment of his life." It's not so much that I disagree with all of these conclusions - one can't read Greek mythology without wincing a bit at the violence, injustice and oppression that were part of the ancient world - but I don't require the author to come to those conclusions for me. It's also interesting to note that this moralizing doesn't carry over to the female characters, even when they do horrific things. When Medea murders her own children to be revenged upon Jason, there's no extraneous commentary, nor is Helen of Troy condemned for betraying her husband - everything is apparently the gods' fault, when women do wrong.
I was really quite surprised at my reaction here, and wonder whether, being more familiar with Greek mythology than Egyptian, I was better able to concentrate on issues of tone and storytelling here, than in Treasury of Egyptian Mythology, where so many of the stories were previously unknown to me. It doesn't seem reasonable to suppose that the tone there was so different than here, but I simply don't recall being put off by it, to any great extent. Given my reaction to the storytelling here, this might have been a two-star book for me. Fortunately, I am a great admirer of illustrator Christian Balit's work - indeed, she is the reason I have tracked these collections down - and I greatly enjoyed the visuals here. The vibrant colors, the boldly stylized figures, the use of gold accents and decorative borders - I found the whole thing gorgeous, and awarded an extra star accordingly. In the end, I think there are better collections of Greek mythology out there for children, starting with the classic (and best all-time!) D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, and I would definitely recommend that title over this one. This, I would recommend chiefly to fellow Balit fans, who will undoubtedly enjoy the artwork.
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LibraryThing member JorgeousJotts
A good rundown on the the major players and happenings in Greek mythology. Good for getting a grasp on the subject.
Awards
The Best Children's Books of the Year (Nine to Twelve — 2012)
Notable Children's Book (2012)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2011
Physical description
12.15 inches
ISBN
9781426308444
UPC
884969025324
Local notes
Lyrical stories and stunning artwork shares these tales of gods, goddesses, heroes and monsters. Also includes sidebars for each god, goddess, hero, and monster which link the myths to constellations, geography, history, and culture to help young readers connect the stories to real life events, people, and places.