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Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | J 292.13 OSB | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Here are twelve Greek myths, retold in an accessible style and magnificently illustrated with classic elegance. Full color.
Author Notes
Mary Pope Osborne was born in Fort Sill, Oklahoma on May 20, 1949. She grew up in a military family, and by the time she was 15 she had lived in Oklahoma, Austria, Florida, and four different army posts in Virginia and North Carolina. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she majored in religion. After graduation, she traveled around Europe and Asia. Before becoming an author, she worked as a window dresser, a medical assistant, a Russian travel consultant, a waitress, an acting teacher, a bartender, and an assistant editor for a children's magazine.
Her first book, Run, Run as Fast as You Can, was published in 1982. She is the author of the Magic Tree House series and the Merlin Missions series. Her husband, actor Will Osborne, helps her write the nonfiction companion series, Magic Tree House Research Guides. Her other books include The Deadly Power of Medusa, Jason and the Argonauts, Haunted Waters, and Moonhorse.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-- Not a comprehensive collection, this book contains retellings of Apuleius' ``Cupid and Psyche'' and of 11 stories from Ovid's Metamorphoses. The prose is lively, the versions faithful, and each myth has a full-page, gold-warmed painting in a realistic but slightly Art Deco-archaic style. Roman names are used, with Greek equivalents given but no pronunciation key. A list of modern myth-related words classifies them as of ``Greek origins,'' though many (e.g., cereal) are patently from Latin roots; and some obvious choices (jovial, panic, psychology) are omitted. The brief introduction repeats the dubious idea that Greek myths ``explain'' nature, which in any case is not a help in understanding Ovid's reworkings. Many more stories (including those of Prometheus, Pandora, Deucalion and Pyrraha, Io, Niobe, Pygmalion, Oedipus, Bellerophon, Perseus, Heracles, Jason, Theseus, Odysseus, et. al. , all missing here) and illustrations can be found in the Macmillan Book of Greek Gods and Heroes (1985) or Gods, Men and Monsters from the Greek Myths (Schocken, 1982). --Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
This handsome collection consists of a dozen tales from Greek mythology, most drawn from Ovid's Metamorphoses , including the stories of Echo and Narcissus, Ceres and Proserpine, Cupid and Psyche, King Midas. Osborne's retellings are both lively and descriptive, while Howell's full-color, often iridescent illustrations set the scene and mood at the start of each tale. Taken together, they provide a solid and highly readable introduction to the major Greco-Roman gods and goddesses and the myths that have profoundly shaped Western thought and literature. Helpful back-matter includes a list of key characters, partial lexicon of modern words drawn from the myths, bibliography and index. Ages 7-11. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Handsomely packaged, a title with visual appeal but limited usefulness. Osborne states in her introduction that her retellings are based largely upon the Roman poet Ovid's Metamorphoses; following his lead, she uses Roman names for the mythical characters here, making the title at best misleading--even though it is true that the myths themselves originated with the Greeks. This confusion is only partially alleviated by giving both the Greek and the Roman names in a concluding list of ""Gods, Goddesses and Mortals."" The 12 well-known myths here include the stories of Midas, Proserpina, and Arachne; the retellings are adequate, but the compact style results in loss of grace rather than in narrative power. Full-color paintings in a heroic style recalling N.C. Wyeth (though--unlike Wyeth--Howell sometimes sentimentalizes) accompany each story. There is a list of English words derived from mythological characters (here called ""Modern Words with Greek Origins""); a brief bibliography of standard references, mostly for adults; and an index. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 3-6. Osborne has selected 13 well-known stories from classical mythology. Although the wording occasionally has a colloquial tone, young readers will enjoy the simplicity and drama of her retellings. A large-format volume with one full-color plate illustrating each tale, this is one of the more beautifully designed and illustrated books of myths. Howell's richly colored paintings capture dramatic moments in memorable, monumental images well suited to the genre. A good choice for teachers or parents who wish to familiarize their children with these famous Greek tales or for children seeking myths to enjoy on their own. --Carolyn Phelan
