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Searching... Stillwater Public Library | J 398.2 BYR | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Lavishly illustrated and impeccably researched, this is a dynamic retelling of one of the greatest adventure stories of all time. Join Theseus as he solves the mystery of his birth, vanquishes a colorful cast of robbers, and volunteers to slay the frightful half-bull, half-man devouring the children of Athens. In a captivating tale for readers of all ages, destinies tragic and glorious splendidly unfold.This is a sure bet for fans of mythology and a wonderful introduction for readers who have not yet discovered the fascinating world of the ancient Greeks.
Author Notes
Mr. Byrd is a successful commercial artist and children's book illustrator whose award-winning picture books include The Bear and the Bird King . Robert Byrd lives in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
Mr. Byrd is a successful commercial artist and children's book illustrator whose award-winning picture books include The Bear and the Bird King . Robert Byrd lives in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Masterfully intertwining several myths, Byrd presents a drum-tight recounting of the quick-witted Theseus's exploits as he journeys to meet his royal father, routs a trio of giant-size rogues, and vows to vanquish the dreaded "half-man, half-bull" monster. A tale of triumph and tragedy, splendidly illustrated with sun-drenched paintings steeped in classical motifs. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Byrd (Leonardo: Beautiful Dreamer) here retells an action-packed tale of the Greek hero Theseus: Theseus? childhood meeting with the strongman Heracles, his reunion with his father, King Aegeus, and his voyage to the castle of King Minos to defeat the Minotaur. Even the ill-fated flight of the inventor Daedalus and his son Icarus figures into the story. Although many of the monsters he meets threaten him with gory fates, Theseus? exuberance never falters, as when he sets out to confront the Minotaur: ?Many around him wept at the sad departure, but Theseus could think only of the thrilling adventure before him.? In Byrd?s pen-and-ink-and-watercolor-wash spreads, the hero and his friends?like the figures on Greek amphorae?appear in profile, with wide eyes, slim necks and hands, and noses of regal proportions. Precipitous cliffs and raging seas add to the story?s grandeur. Byrd?s restrained third-person narrative keeps the action at arm?s length, but also softens grimmer moments, as when Theseus forgets to signal his success to his father, and Aegeus commits suicide (?Without his son, all the old king?s power and his beautiful city seemed meaningless to him. Overcome with despair, Aegeus threw himself off the cliffs?). Byrd?s text brims with names and information; he attends as carefully to drapery, feathers and the decorations on ceramic vessels in the background as he does to the central figures of the story. An engaging and thoroughly researched version of this classic tale. Ages 5-10. (July) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Horn Book Review
This smooth retelling of the mythic stories about Theseus, slayer of the Minotaur, also incorporates the story of Daedalus, the creator of the labyrinth in which the half-bull/half-man monster was kept. Reproductions of ancient Greek artifacts appear throughout the intricate illustrations. Readers can follow the hero's travels on the endpaper maps. No source notes are provided. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Paired with stylized, full-bleed views of strong-featured figures in classical Greek dress, and generally posed in profile, Byrd retells a melded tale that includes not only Theseus's birth, early feats and battle with the Minotaur, but also the imprisonment and flight of Daedalus and Icarus. In general, he sticks to the most familiar versions of these tales, though he is selective in his choice of incidents to include. He also casts Icarus and Ariadne as friends, and has Theseus abandon Ariadne at the behest of Dionysus, rather than for the usual--and less defensible--reasons. Children who have difficulty warming to the illustrations in Warwick Hutton's distant, 1989 rendition may find these scenes of Theseus facing off against a succession of huge, ugly ogres, capped by a climactic dustup with the toothy, fire-breathing Minotaur, suitably rousing--but for a decidedly contrarian view, steer more able readers then to Patrice Kindl's Lost in the Labyrinth (2002). (Picture book/folktale. 8-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. Exciting illustrations, patterned with designs drawn from ancient pottery, bring to life this retelling of two Greek myths. Byrd begins with the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, and then smoothly transitions into Icarus' doomed flight. The blend of myths makes for a narrative that may be too long for reading aloud, beginning to end, to a restless crowd. Still, Byrd ably compresses essential plot elements into an abbreviated yet thorough text, and his beautiful ink-and-watercolor artwork will easily draw children into the action. In intricate, delicately colored full-page spreads, Byrd creates monsters and villains that are at once deliciously odious and whimsical. Meticulously detailed period costumes and palaces round out thrilling scenes that show mythology's fantastic blurring of worlds, in which gods' faces swirl amid sea creatures, celestial bodies, and the solid, earthly world of humans. There are no notes to support the story, but this is still an excellent choice to inspire interest in ancient mythology; it will partner nicely with Robert Burleigh's picture-book retellings of myths, Hercules (1999) and Pandora (2002). --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2005 Booklist
