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7th out of 100 books
—
8 voters
The Wanderings of Odysseus: The Story of the Odyssey
A master storyteller and an award-winning illustrator evoke the golden age of mythical Greece in this spirited retelling of "The Odyssey." "From the Hardcover edition."
Paperback, 120 pages
Published
September 5th 2002
by Frances Lincoln Childrens Books
(first published 1996)
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Well, I've already put it aside to give away, if that tells you something. We so enjoyed Black Ships Before Troy, that this came as a great disappointment. The writing didn't captivate in the way the former did. Though, perhaps I'm holding it to an anachronistic standard by expecting the protagonist to be empathetic.
Beyond the fact that you don't really like Odysseus for the first two-thirds of the book, the narrative is unnecessarily graphic. While I acknowledge that the subject matter is grim...more
Beyond the fact that you don't really like Odysseus for the first two-thirds of the book, the narrative is unnecessarily graphic. While I acknowledge that the subject matter is grim...more
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Aug 14, 2012
Jessica
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-books,
mythology
I would not recommend this book to children. Because it has been simplified into plain language, the violent events are depicted in an even more gruesome manner than in the original epic poem, which I feel makes this book inappropriate for children to be reading on their own. In addition, I was not very impressed by the writing in this book. It is choppy and simplistic, written more in summary format than in a fluid narrative, which makes it rather dry and boring, especially during the parts tha...more
This book is about Odysseus, the mythical king of Ithaca, who has to get home from Troy, but does not know the way. The setting is in Greece, and Odysseus's external conflict, is him dealing with the God's and monsters. Odysseus's internal conflict, is him trying to find home and thinking about his wife and kids.
When Odysseus fights the Cyclops and kills him, it reminds me of when Apollo, the god of music killed the Cyclops for killing his son.
I would give this book 5 stars, because I really lov...more
When Odysseus fights the Cyclops and kills him, it reminds me of when Apollo, the god of music killed the Cyclops for killing his son.
I would give this book 5 stars, because I really lov...more
This is a great book to use if you want to introduce The Odyssey to a tween (age 11-3. It addresses all of the major themes (longing for home, desire for glory, hospitality, etc.) and all of the adventures are adequately covered as well. For the more squeamish, some descriptions are a bit disgusting (example: when Polyphemos eats Odysseus's men) but not quite as detailed as the original text. I imagine most of my 12-year-old girl students will wrinkle their noses and ask if we can just skip thos...more
The sequel to Black Ships Before Troy: The Story Of The Iliad, this book will delight anyone who loves a good story accompanied by amazing art! Alan Lee's illustrations are (to me) the highlight, but Sutcliff's story will also hold you enthralled.
Another great narrative (from an epic) from author Rosemary Sutcliff. This would be great resource for students while reading an epic version. She also puts the events in chronological order instead of the traditional plot scheme of this story (which is easier for Westernized thought). My only concern is a few illustrations with breasts, if indeed this becomes part of a class library.
I liked this book simply because it was much easier than reading the actually Odyssey. While I do think that there is some inappropriate content in the book, I think I could use sections of it in my classroom. I think that the Odyssey is such a big part of where heroic stories came from that it is important to teach. It will only add to the children's cultural experiences.
While I find this book an easy way to interest and explain the Odyssey to young children, I felt like it greatly dumbed-down the experience. It was too shifty, and jumped from one story to another with no transitions. This would be a great read-aloud with a class if you were doing a unit that correlates to the Odyssey though.
I forgot to add this book I read as part of my class last semester. This is a good adaptation of the story of the Odyssey that is more kid-friendly but includes a lot of the detail of the original story. It would be a good introduction for any child to this famous story.
I use this book with high school literature/English students as an excellent and accessible retelling of "The Odyssey" by Homer. The author extracted the essential points in the original story and turned them into an engaging, readable narrative for adolescent readers.
I read this with Calvin (almost 6 years old). It was great; we both enjoyed it a great deal Along with The Black Ships it reminded me of how awesome Homer is. This is a great introduction to the Odyssey for younger folks. I heartily recommend it.
This is a wonderfully illustrated and condensed version of Homer's classic. I loved the pictures that eerily depict Odysseus' travels after the Trojan War. I hope my kids find it as entertaining as I did.
I wasn't a big fan of this book. It was a very shortened version of the adventures of Odysseus. There was hardly any characterization or describing of events. It felt more like a summary of the real thing. This book could be helpful in the elementary classroom to help teach a little bit about Greek mythology and legends.
This was my first introduction to "The Odyssey" as a child and I loved it. I thought both Circe and Penelope were awesome, because Circe could turn people into pigs and because Penelope tricked the suitors. I also loved the illustrations.
Traditional Fantasy
Grades 5-8
Themes: heros; Greek mythology
Ways to use with children: introduce Greek Mythology; lit circles; choose a chapter and act it out or make a movie
Grades 5-8
Themes: heros; Greek mythology
Ways to use with children: introduce Greek Mythology; lit circles; choose a chapter and act it out or make a movie
This is the first time I have actually understood the Odyssey! It seemed like it stayed true to the Odyssey, but it was toned down enough to actually be understood.
Great! I thought it kept the interest quite well. I thought it moved from each wandering to the next fairly quickly, which may be good for children.
This is a great retelling of Homer's Odyssey with beautiful illustrations by Alan Lee. Though written for children, adults will appreciate it as well.
This is a decent summarization of The Odyssey, much easier than tackling the original text. It would make a good introduction to Greek myth, especially among kids in grades 4-7.
This was a good book to help me understand the story of Odysseus better. It put it in plain language and its easier to follow.
* traditional fantasy
* traditional fantasy
A great way to learn the story of the Odyssey without having to read the original. A fun way to teach the story to elementary aged kids.
This is the childrens version of the Odyssey, and for my children the source of background knowledge for the Percy Jackson series.
Jul 17, 2009
Kami Huff
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-literature,
traditional-fantasy
*Traditional Fantasy* I thought this book was a concise version of the very long stories of Odysseus. I did not particularly enjoy it because it was so fast, and the stories were very short and devoid of much detail. But if you wanted to be exposed to these epic stories, it gets to the point and tells the stories.
I didn't really enjoy this book. I like the fact that is was trying to retell the story of the Odyssey, but the writing was unexciting.
Great! Is a I-must-know-what-finally-happens-in-the-end type of book. Has a happy ending, well, at least for Odysseus.
This book was amazing! I now have such a strong love for classical literature and I look forward to reading much more of it.
Much easier than Odyssey for introducing this classic story. Great way to get younger reader familiar with a very famous story.
The stories are so amazing!!!! Written in simple language, and a great read for pasting time, or to be in a good mood.
I was glad to find an abbreviated and illustrated version of this great story that I could read to my children.
All kids should be exposed to the Odyssey. This helped me to understand the Odyssey even better than I have.
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Rosemary Sutcliff was a British novelist, best known as a writer of highly acclaimed historical fiction. Although primarily a children's author, the quality and depth of her writing also appeals to adults, she herself once commenting that she wrote "for children of all ages from nine to ninety."
Born in West Clandon, Surrey, Sutcliff spent her early youth in Malta and other naval bases where her fa...more
More about Rosemary Sutcliff...
Born in West Clandon, Surrey, Sutcliff spent her early youth in Malta and other naval bases where her fa...more
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