book data
1,050 ratings,
4.51
average rating, 189 reviews
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published
April 1st 1992
(first published 1962)
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
binding
Paperback, 192 pages
isbn
0440406943
(isbn13: 9780440406945)
description
No education is complete without a large slice of Greek mythology. And there's no better way of meeting that literary quota than with the D'Aulaires' ...more
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avg 4.51
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
recommends it for:
Young Students of Greek Mythology
This classic introduction to Greek mythology for children, written and illustrated by the husband-wife team, is divided into three main sections. The first covers the beginnings of the world and the stories of the Olympian gods and goddesses; the second is devoted to the minor gods, nymphs, satyrs, and centaurs; and the third relates the tales of the human heroes of epic and play.
Although some of the gorier details of these myths have been glossed over, the authors have opted for ge...more
Although some of the gorier details of these myths have been glossed over, the authors have opted for ge...more
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10 comments
Read in January, 1983
This is the very first book I remember reading all by my little self when I was three and I have read it a million more times. My copy is old (stolen from my elder brother, in fact; it was his first), taped back together, missing it's covers, and extremely well-loved. It has inspired a lifelong fascination with mythology and the ancient world and probably played a large part in my obsessive need to learn everything about everything--not that that's possibly, but it's fun to try. The stories h...more
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Even though I was probably past the reading level of this book when I received it as a kid, I loved it. This is a beautiful book that I still go back and read every once in a while.
The one thing it's missing is some sort of grounding to the real Greeks. I never learned who the Greeks really were until much later. Perhaps a child reading this book should also read a simple book on Greek history along with it.
The one thing it's missing is some sort of grounding to the real Greeks. I never learned who the Greeks really were until much later. Perhaps a child reading this book should also read a simple book on Greek history along with it.
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recommends it for:
Kids
I don't know what it was about this book but I remember always cheking it out at the school library over and over again. My teacher had to force me to get another book to do a report on. So then i went from obssesing over greek myth to astroligy. She got sick of constilation report too. Great book for kids!
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One of those books every home should have...every child should read growing up. No, no, not that they should believe in them, but like Mother Goose, they form part of our Western understanding of who we are. We come from the Greeks. And this book is beautiful!
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A favorite since childhood. I remember checking this book out repeatedly from the public library when I was little and getting lost in the stories and illustrations. A Classic.
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Dad gave me this as a kid. It holds a dear place in my heart. Every kid should have one (a dad, yes but I mean the book).
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4 comments
recommends it for:
Kids and adults that are interested in this stuff, or like pretty pictures
I've had this book for most of my life. I've read it so much that at a point in my childhood I knew exactly what page would follow the one I am on, what picture I could expect to see, what words I could expect to read. (Even though I've memorized all the myths by heart thanks to this book.)
I love the illustrations, so soft and the colors don't want to murder your eyes.
This is one of those books I will make sure my far-in-the-future kids have access to. Of course the this ...more
I love the illustrations, so soft and the colors don't want to murder your eyes.
This is one of those books I will make sure my far-in-the-future kids have access to. Of course the this ...more
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Read in January, 1978
This is a lightweight book that goes through the characterisation of Greek gods and their life stories. I lost interest but continued to read this book because much of our language is in reference to and influenced by some of these gods. It's a little dry and the character development leaves much to be desired.
If anyone has any suggestions for a Greek Myth book that would bring the characters to life, please let me know.
If anyone has any suggestions for a Greek Myth book that would bring the characters to life, please let me know.
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12/29/08
Dan
marked it as to-read
Read in September, 1980
The pictures freaked me out as a child--and yet my sister kept bringing this home.
This is the book that influenced my view of the Greek Myths when I was a kid and beyond (that, and those crazy Saturday afternoon Ray Harryhausen films). Wrong or not, the illustrations stay with you. I keep trying to foist it into the Boy's hands--"REad this! It's your OBLIGATION!"
But he's only four... give him time.
This is the book that influenced my view of the Greek Myths when I was a kid and beyond (that, and those crazy Saturday afternoon Ray Harryhausen films). Wrong or not, the illustrations stay with you. I keep trying to foist it into the Boy's hands--"REad this! It's your OBLIGATION!"
But he's only four... give him time.
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Read in January, 1987
I loved this book as a child. Greek mythology was something that I was very much interested in, mostly because it was so crazy and a little bit naughty. I used to be able to name all the Greek gods, major and minor, but I'm rusty now. I remember when I was little, I pretty much checked this book out every other week from the school library for an entire school year.
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lots of fun. i had no memory of so many aspects of the greek myths that are really interesting. for example, zeus having a wife prior to hera (metis, a titan who represented prudence), or the very adversarial relationship of the olympians to the earth goddess, gaia, or the specific character traits and conflicts of zeus' children. really interesting!
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my mom bought this book for me when i gained an unhealthy obsession with the story of Perseus and the Gorgons. this became my absolute FAVORITE book as a child. served me well later in life, too, as a literature major. great interpretations of the myths without over-simplifying them or wrenching all of the dark endings into happy ones.
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This is one of my favorite childhood books. I read it over and over and the stories fed my later love of classical literature. The illustrations are charming and this is one book that should be in every child's library. Last year, my daughter's 7th grade class used it for their introductory study of greek mythology. This is a keeper!
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Read in September, 1995
recommends it for:
Anywho who would like to know more about Greek mythology.
This was the book they used at school to teach us the Greek myths and the images and stories have stuck with me all these years thanks to this book (trust me its a hard thing to remember everything that happened in Greek mythology!). I always pick it up and re-read it every once in a while because it such a pleasure to do so.
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recommends it for:
all children and grown-up children
When I was in second grade, our teacher asked us to draw a picture of what we wanted to be someday. I drew Aphrodite, naked though cloaked in long golden hair, floating to shore on a half-shell, winds gently puffing from banks of clouds, three graces ashore waiting for the goddess. My teacher, who wasn't my best teacher, had no idea what I was trying to draw, and since I had only read about Aphrodite in D'Aulaires, never heard the name pronounced, I couldn't tell her. The syllables got all mi...more
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Read in January, 1990
I loved this book in elementary school--I was so fascinated by the Greeks and their myths. We read it in class every week in my "gifted" class, and then I would check it out from the library so I could read it at home too. The story of Persephone and the pomegranate seeds resonated with me the most.
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I went through a "Greek Myth Phase" because of this book, something for which "What to expect of a seven year old" probably did not prepare my mother. My old drawing notebooks are full of complicated pantheons and my attachment to Greek mythology has stood me in good stead.
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Read in March, 2009
I read one story from this book to my class of kindergarten to grade four children every Friday. They look forward to their Greek story time every week! These stories are incredible. I had a classical studies major in my undergrad and appreciate these safe-for-children versions of the stories (because would anyone really want someone so young to read the Bacchae?). The children loved the mythology so much that many have started studying Greece and Greek culture. Great introduction and great read...more
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06/16/09
C
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Read in January, 2005
Several of my friends said that they had read this as a child. I didn't, but it is great. I probably wouldn't have picked it up, because at first I didn't like the illustrations, but it is really a great presentation of some of the basic Greek religion stories.
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