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Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters

Donna Jo Napoli (Goodreads Author),

Christina Balit (Illustrator)

4.08 · Rating details · 2,137 ratings · 274 reviews

School Library Journal Best Books of 2011

Eureka! Silver Honor Books—California Reading Association

Capitol Choices 2012 list of Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens

2012 Notable Children's Books—ALSC

The new National Geographic Treasury of Greek Mythology offers timeless stories of Greek myths in a beautiful new volume. Brought to life with lyrical text by award-winning a ...more

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Hardcover, 192 pages

Published October 11th 2011 by National Geographic Kids

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· 2,137 ratings · 274 reviews

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Start your review of Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters

Dec 03, 2018 Manybooks rated it it was ok

Shelves: childrens-literature, book-reviews, folklore-myth-religion, retellings

Now even though Donna Jo Napoli's Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters is (or at least seems) for the most part accurate enough content and thematics wise (albeit I do wonder why in her section on Apollo, she has not stated that Apollo is sometimes also considered, alongside of the Titan Helios, as god of the sun), I really cannot say that I have all that much if at all personally enjoyed reading her rewritten stories of Greek mythology. For even wit Now even though Donna Jo Napoli's Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters is (or at least seems) for the most part accurate enough content and thematics wise (albeit I do wonder why in her section on Apollo, she has not stated that Apollo is sometimes also considered, alongside of the Titan Helios, as god of the sun), I really cannot say that I have all that much if at all personally enjoyed reading her rewritten stories of Greek mythology. For even with my appreciation of Napoli's inclusion of a cast of characters, timelines, bibliographies (as well as comparisons to other world mythologies and lore), I have had to repeatedly cringe at the fact that for one the author (or rather the reteller) so often uses modern slang and vernacular (such as nitwit, nag and the like) and that for two Napoli seems to often verbally wallow in Zeus' sexual indiscretions and is often so minutely descriptive regarding pregnancy, giving birth and even basic bodily functions that I for one have found much of Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters verging on being inappropriate for the intended age group, not all that suitable for younger readers.

And no, I am actually NOT in any manner offended by Zeus's sexual and marital indiscretions and by the both physical and sometimes sexual violence that is part and parcel to much of Greek mythology. I just happen to think and believe that Donna Jo Napoli should have and could have retold these classic tales in a less lurid, less titillating (pun intended) fashion (as in my opinion, one can and should retell the classic Greek myths of the past in a manner that is respectful, age appropriate for the interned audience and indeed also not too much modernised and imbued with primarily images of sex, violence, mayhem and weird depictions of bodily fluids and monthly cycles). And therefore, but two stars for Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters, as even with the appreciated supplemental information at the back (of which I will also more than likely make use for research and study), the textual, the narrational combination of Donna Jo Napoli's retold Greek myths and Christina Balit's accompanying illustrations (which are indeed bright and descriptive but like Napoli's retellings often rather too modern, too exaggerated and too Greek myth inspired movie like for my tastes) has just not been, is simply not my proverbial cup of tea. ...more

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Feb 15, 2015 Laura rated it it was amazing

Shelves: homeschool, classic, didn-t-finish-reading-it, salt-lake-county-library

Totally awesome--I love everything about it and could not imagine Greek mythology being explained better. So much better than other high-rated books.

The artwork is stellar but what I appreciate most is the story-telling approach. The intro briefly explains how all people and society's try to make sense of the world. We explain things in terms of science and the Greeks created these stories. Then it starts at the beginning with Gaia, Mother Earth, and introduce characters as they form in the stor ...more

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Oct 14, 2020 Abigail rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Fans of Christina Balit's Artwork

Shelves: folklore-mythology, mythology-classical, mythology-greek

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 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 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 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'Aulaires' 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. ...more

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Jan 13, 2014 Brianna rated it liked it

Shelves: fairytales-folklore-fantasy

The artwork in this book was absolutely stunning! I also loved the details of all the tales had, and how most linked into the next one. There were references like a map and historical outlined that I thought would be useful for using while reading the stories and teaching. My only problem with this book is some of the details they included about the unfaithfulness of husbands such as Zeus. I feel that, as a future teacher, young students should not be exposed to this at a young age. Some student ...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Gofita rated it it was amazing

Shelves: myth, 2013-read, read-aloud-with-my-son

I've been reading this one with my son over the last few months. Napoli has really brought the Greek stories to life. She has some funny commentary inserted into the stories to bring attention to some of the crazier/violent aspects of the stories. There are also some excellent extra insights into the stories, such as the science behind the sun or moon or the geography of Greece or its people and culture.

The drawings are also amazing. Beautiful and colorful. This is a great edition to our library ...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Alanna rated it it was ok

Shelves: classics

The only thing that saves this from getting only one star is the fabulous illustrations. The text is terrible, poorly researched, biased and down right infuriating. What a waste of such wonderful illustrations!

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Jun 20, 2017 Utena rated it it was ok

Shelves: children-middle-school, mythological, ya, fairy-tales, retellings

Real Rating: 1.5

I have always had a love for mythology especially anything Greek/Roman mythology. When my friend brought this to my attention, I was excited. I could not wait to crack open this book and dive into the world of mythology.

Unfortunately I was disappointed by the lack of research this book should have had. Stories were short. Too short for my tastes.

The art was delightful and beautiful but the stories were terrible.

Seriously if you want to introduce your children to mythology, pick ...more

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Oct 10, 2016 Whitney rated it really liked it

I wanted a refresher on the Greek gods and goddesses so I decided to give this a try. The myths and stories were enjoyable and brought to life with gorgeous illustrations. It's geared towards children, so I thought it would be an easy to follow treasury, yet I found myself getting confused at the order of the stories but regardless, I enjoyed reading it but I still do not feel as I have a solid grasp on each god/goddess as I would like. ...more

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Feb 24, 2017 Samantha Glass rated it really liked it

A good supplement to all the Percy Jackson books we've been reading. The myths behind the tales, if you will. ...more

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Oct 06, 2018 Khadijah rated it really liked it

I have to give it four stars because that ARTWORK❤ The writing was alright, too. It wasn't very exciting, even though the things happening were, and so I was underwhelmed- until I saw the next picture! A fun read.
(I'm still shocked at how little I knew about these stories~ Hera is actually crazy and needs help, the good Zeus does definitely is nothing compared to the bad, Orion has always been my fave constellation but he's so not a cool dude, etc. I like Selene, Goddess of the Moon. Theseus is ...more

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Apr 08, 2018 Shannon rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018, kids, mythology

Interesting structure and overview of the gods, goddesses et al, but I had some issues with it. One of the biggest was that the goddesses were often discussed most specifically with who they were married to and who their children and the gods are usually discussed by their actions. Also, there was a judgmental tone to the goddesses actions, like Hera being called a nag because she was mad Zeus when off sleeping with everyone. Why is there judgement on her attitude? Can we even know what her atti ...more

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Mar 01, 2016 Michael Perrino rated it really liked it

I think that this book has great myths that are very unique and different than many other myths.

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Nov 19, 2020 Mrs. Elaine rated it liked it

Shelves: homeschool-books

My son and I are reading the Percy Jackson series together and he expressed an interest in learning more mythology so I incorporated this into our homeschool lessons. My son enjoyed these stories because he was thrilled to recognize characters from Percy Jackson and The Odyssey which we are using for our literature study. I was a bit uncomfortable with all the references to sex. As we all know Zeus was a horndog. The references to him turning into an animal to copulate were slightly shocking. I ...more

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May 01, 2020 Cheryl rated it liked it

I enjoy watching Jeopardy and the show often has a category on Greek Mythology. I know I learned about Greek Mythology in school when I was very young but I don't remember much of it. My 5 year old grandson is reading the illustrated Harry Potter books so I ordered this book with the idea that I could brush up on Greek Mythology and if I thought he would like it, I would pass the book on to him after reading it. The illustrations are beautifully done and the stories of the Greek gods and goddess ...more

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Aug 28, 2019 Amy Braun rated it it was amazing

I absolutely love these books, and this one was everything I could have hoped for. Greek mythology is my favourite, and reading classic stories with unique and beautiful artwork simply made my day. The stories flowed beautifully, and the author did not shy away from the cruel nature of the gods and heroes. She even added in a few instances of sarcasm and wit to lighten the tales.

The book is gorgeously designed and I was truly stunned by many of the images. There is little more that I can say abo ...more

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Dec 20, 2020 Sunny the Sassy rated it liked it

Interesting take on the gods. I loved the poetic writing and showing how different gods viewed the same events. However, some things just seemed... inaccurate? Like the author writes that Hera helped Leto give birth, but literally every other version I’ve seen and read made it clear that Hera tormented Leto by making it so that Leto cannot give birth on land attached to the earth and also by kidnapping the goddess of childbirth. I therefore had trouble trying to figure out what was fabricated an ...more

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Jan 24, 2021 Katherine rated it liked it

Shelves: and-we-ll-never-be-royals, coverly-love, it-haz-pictures, childrens, owned, mythology, ancient-greece

”In reading the myths, we begin to understand that the ancient Greeks must have wanted more than just the big answers from their gods. They must have also wanted their gods to be a reflection that could help them understand themselves.”

3.5 out of 5 stars

If you live in the Western world and have gone to school, then you probably remember the lessons in school that you were taught about mythology. When schoolkids think of that word, I’ll bet you that the first word that comes to mind is “Greek ”In reading the myths, we begin to understand that the ancient Greeks must have wanted more than just the big answers from their gods. They must have also wanted their gods to be a reflection that could help them understand themselves.”

3.5 out of 5 stars

If you live in the Western world and have gone to school, then you probably remember the lessons in school that you were taught about mythology. When schoolkids think of that word, I’ll bet you that the first word that comes to mind is “Greek”. The Greek myths are some of the best-known myths in the world, with their gods that are seemingly immortal but often act anything but godlike. As the above quote put it, the Greeks gave their deities human like qualities because they wanted to see a reflection of themselves in said gods. Clearly their storytelling had immense power, because we’re still reading about and talking about their stories to this day. In this collection, Donna Jo Napoli retells some of the most famous myths of the ancient Greek and gives an all too human spin on the gods, goddesses, and heroes we all know and love.

The stories in this collection are told in a sequential manner. I actually liked this method because it allowed the book to have almost a uniform touch to it. It made the book read more like a novel than just a selection of stories. However, I do think Napoli had varying ideas when it came to deciding who she wanted to write for, audience wise. At times, the stories read as thought they were being told for young children; at other times, it felt like they were being retold with older children in mind.

If anything, read this book for the illustrations alone. They are absolutely stunning.
description

I wasn’t sure I’d like the abstract, geometrical artwork of this book, but it surprised me. The color and vibrancy of Christina Balit’s pictures is simply astonishing.

Despite this being a rather solid book, it dragged on towards the end. The myths went from being bite-sized to being a little longer, and my interest waned a bit. Some of the stories differed slightly from how I remembered reading them in school (and scholars talking about them), and there was such a big cast of characters that I had some trouble remembering who they all were. If you need to keep a notebook handy to figure out who is who, that’s not a great sign.

Having read almost all of Donna Jo Napoli’s books, I was pleasantly surprised that there was a collection of stories by her in conjunction with National Geographic that I hadn’t read. Being a major fan of her dark fairytale retellings, I immediately ordered them and waited eagerly to start reading them. What I got was a solid collection of stories that retell the most famous Greek myths, but it dragged on towards the end. I''ll definitely pick up the other installments of her retellings series, but if you want bite-sized that's kid friendly with gorgeous illustrations, I suggest you pick up The Children's Book of Myths and Legends by Ronne Randall. It was one of my favorite books growing up, and it contains all of the things I mentioned above, plus a deep dive into different cultures and mythologies other than your typical Greek and Roman myths. ...more

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Jul 29, 2018 Giki rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, classics

beautifully written and illustrated. This carefully edited selection of tales provides a broad grounding in greek mythology. Designed to capture a childs interest and encourage them to find out more. I bought it for my 8 year old son who was studying greece as a topic at school. He has thourghly enjoyed reading it and discussing the storys. It remains a firm favorite in our house

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Dec 13, 2020 Beverly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: jnf-300-folklore

This excellent compilation briefly tells the stories of 19 gods and goddesses and 6 mortal heroes. Each story is about 4 - 6 pages long. Christina Balit illustrates the book with bold, stylized paintings. The back matter includes a map of Greece, a timeline of events in Greek history, a cast of characters with brief info on each, a bibliography, and index.

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May 06, 2020 David Blynov rated it really liked it

A well written narration of Greek mythology, spanning from early Titans to late heros.

4.4/5

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May 26, 2020 Jordan rated it really liked it

A good rundown on the the major players and happenings in Greek mythology. Good for getting a grasp on the subject.

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Dec 25, 2019 Paul rated it it was amazing

This is a very basic book on greek mythology aimed mostly towards older children. The art is fabulous and it is what makes this book special. Being a quick read, it is well worth it as a refresher on Greek mythology.

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Jun 29, 2020 Zoe rated it really liked it

Beautiful pictures and super informative stories. I have definitely learned a lot about Greek mythology after reading this book, and the pictures added were just brilliant! This is an amazing book to read if you’re curious about Greek mythology. Full of amazing content!

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May 17, 2017 Danae rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: female-author, female-pov, fiction, three-stars, fantasy, shape-shifters, magic, anthropomorphism, supernatural, royalty

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. ;) ...more

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Jun 30, 2017 Dzung Bui rated it liked it

As a mythologist, I just had to have this book in my collection. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. Sadly, the writing is severely lacking which is strange to me as I've read Napoli's other books and they were decent. Her writing in this book felt rushed, less detailed, and is seriously lacking. It's as if this book doesn't know what kind of writing it wants, being a mixture of a narrative and something from a comic as it has too many unnecessary onomatopoeia such as BAM! and WHOA! And s As a mythologist, I just had to have this book in my collection. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. Sadly, the writing is severely lacking which is strange to me as I've read Napoli's other books and they were decent. Her writing in this book felt rushed, less detailed, and is seriously lacking. It's as if this book doesn't know what kind of writing it wants, being a mixture of a narrative and something from a comic as it has too many unnecessary onomatopoeia such as BAM! and WHOA! And some of the details of the myths in this book makes no sense. For example, Napoli wrote that Poseidon fell in love with Medusa and loves her snake-hair and ugly appearances. I don't know what kind of myth Napoli's been reading, but if you've read other books about this myth, you'll know that Medusa was originally born beautiful and Poseidon wanted to marry her. But lacking judgement, Medua boasted that she's more beautiful than the goddess Athena and the latter cursed her into a hideous creature. Another example is when Napoli tells the story of Theseus who decided that he didn't want to marry Ariadne who helped him escape the labyrinth with the Minotaur. This makes no sense because other myths will tell you that on their way back to Athens, the god Dionysus tells Theseus that he wants to marry Ariadne and that Theseus should return without her. Unable to deny an Olympian, Theseus did as he was told, and was so sad that he forgot to hang up the white sails of his ship, causing his father to think that Theseus has died.

And another thing that bothered me about the writing is that it seemed to be filled with fillers. It was as if the author doesn't know what to write about this hero or god and just writes whatever for the sake of filling in some pages. For example, the story of the goddess Hestia, the author spends more time talking about how Hestia feels when she's in her father's stomach before being freed by Zeus. Any any other information about her being the virgin goddess of the hearth is seriously glossed over. And remember when I said that the stories were also rushed? Yes, some of these stories just seemed to cut off or were ended abruptly just so it could get to the next story. The only saving grave about these books are the gorgeous illustrations. Frankly, these books illuminates more on the illustrator's work than the author's. ...more

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Jul 17, 2013 Christine rated it it was ok

Shelves: children-s-literature

Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, heroes, and Monsters
Written by Donna Jo Napoli and illustrated by Christina Balit
Audience: Intermediate; Grades 3-7; Ages 8-12
Genre: Non-Fiction

Awards:
School Library Journal Best Books of 2011
Eureka! Silver Honor Books-California Reading Association
Capitol Choices 2012 list of Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens
2012 Notable Children's Books-ALSC

Questions for Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy:
Remembering: In Greek mythology, twelve god Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, heroes, and Monsters
Written by Donna Jo Napoli and illustrated by Christina Balit
Audience: Intermediate; Grades 3-7; Ages 8-12
Genre: Non-Fiction

Awards:
School Library Journal Best Books of 2011
Eureka! Silver Honor Books-California Reading Association
Capitol Choices 2012 list of Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens
2012 Notable Children's Books-ALSC

Questions for Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy:
Remembering: In Greek mythology, twelve gods and goddesses ruled the universe from atop Greece's Mount Olympus. These Olympians had come to power after their leader, Zeus, overthrew his father, Cronos, leader of the Titans. All the Olympians are related to one another. Who were the Olympian gods and goddesses? Give their Greek names, identify their symbols, and describe their powers or responsibilities.

Understanding: Ancient stories were often created to help people understand the world around them. Natural events could be frightening without an explanation and stories helped people make sense of what they observed and experienced everyday. According to the myths, explain: Why is the day divided into daytime and nighttime? (see the story of Helios); What is a rainbow? (see the story of Apollo); Why do we have seasons? (read the story of Persephone in the chapter about Demeter).

Applying: Why did Cronos swallow his children? Predict what might have happened if his wife, Rhea, had not fed him a stone in place of Zeus?

Analyzing: In terms of the myths as a whole, what is unusual about Heracles’ character? Why is he considered a hero after committing so many crimes?

Evaluating: Greek myths are full of instances of cruelty of the gods. Give an example of when a god or goddess was cruel and the reason for his or her actions. In your opinion, do you think the behavior of the god or goddess was acceptable? Why or why not?

Creating: After reading different myths about Greek gods and goddesses, work independently, with a partner, or in small group to create a new myth using the Myths Writing Workshop (http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewi...). When you have finished, you can publish your myth online! ...more

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Jun 26, 2016 DeLana DuBoi rated it it was ok

I thought that this book would be a new age modernized version of classic Greek Mythology stories. I was hoping the stories would spark new interest in these historic tales, but fell a little short for me. For a children's book the stories were difficult to follow as they did not fully develop each story to help readers connect. Many of them included lists of descriptions of how many of the different gods and goddesses were related to each other. But for some, pronouncing the names is challengin ...more

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Nov 07, 2019 Josephine Sorrell rated it it was amazing

I am not very interested in mythology but wanted to complete the challenge. I found this one by one if my favorite writers, Donna Jo Napoli. And it is a National Geographic edition.

It was pretty interesting as I read about pharaohs, queens, the boisterous Sun God Ra, and legendary creatures like the Sphinx. She dramatizes the tales of ancient Egypt with beautiful illustrations bringing ancient characters to life.

The stories are embellished with sidebars that provide historical, cultural, and g ...more

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Jul 12, 2013 ShellWolf rated it it was ok

Shelves: myths

Couldn't give this more than two stars and the only thing that earned it that much are the beautiful illustrations. The text is poorly written, incredibly biased and clearly inadequately researched. It is obvious that some parts of the myths were of the authors own invention, nothing more. I easily kept getting distracted and absorbed into other books, which is unusual as I tend to experience quite e opposite when it comes to most types of mythology, most especially Greek, Roman and Egyptian. It ...more

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Apr 02, 2015 Cris rated it it was ok

My son is really attracted by the illustrations of the book, but the content leaves a lot to be desired. First, it is geared toward teenagers, I think. (No one expects elementary age kids to read mythology). As such it is far too full of phrases that are not how I would explain something to a child. Particularly about the love affairs of the Gods. Far too flip. Too many colloquial expressions. The stories are also told too fast. Hercules' Labors in two pages? And they are also confused versions. ...more

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Goodreads Review #2	1	1	Sep 23, 2019 05:56AM
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Future Teachers, ...: A treasury of Greek Mythology	1	4	Sep 30, 2016 06:23PM

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About Donna Jo Napoli

Donna Jo Napoli

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Donna Jo Napoli is both a linguist and a writer of children's and YA fiction. She loves to garden and bake bread, and even dreams of moving to the woods and becoming a naturalist.

At various times her house and yard have been filled with dogs, cats, birds, and rabbits. For thirteen years she had a cat named Taxi, and liked to go outside and call, "Taxi!" to make the neighbors wonder. But dear dear ...more