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Theseus and the Minotaur
Retells the Greek myth of the hero Theseus and his battle with the bull-headed monster called the Minotaur.
32 pages, Library Binding
First published September 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 26, 2018
Fisher, Leonard. Theseus and the Minotaur (1988).
(Myth)
(Motif: seven youths and seven maidens)
Characters: The main character is named Theseus. He is the son of King Aegus. Theseus is a young man that everyone loved because all he wanted to do was help others. King Aegus married a new wife named Medea and had a second son named Medus.
Setting: The myth takes place in Athens.
Theme: Two themes take place in this myth. The first theme is being a good person takes you to far and the second theme is to pay closer attention to what you have to get done. The people love Theseus because he is such a helpful person but at the end, he made a mistake that took his fathers life.
Plot/Summary: When Theseus was born his father moved and created his own family. His mother told Theseus that one-day when he was strong enough his father left him gold sandals and a gold sword. Theseus finally was able to get the gold gifts and he wanted to show his father his strength. He went on a journey to find his father and during that journey, he made the roads safe by killing all the bad robbers. Upon his arrival, his stepmom wanted to kill him because she wanted her son to become king. King Aegus found out and sent her away. The king shared his problems with his son and his son found a solution. The King told him when he returns to place a white sail to know that he made it back safely but the son forgot and the King would never recover from that. The end Theseus learned a valuable lesson. He made one single mistake because he wasn’t paying close attention and it cost his fathers life. The moral of the story is to pay extra attention to what you are doing. The book had simple but lifelike images that helped me imagine the story. The words fit into the picture so there isn’t one blank page.
Target Audience: The target audience is ages 8-11 because they will learn about different places on Earth, like Athens and they will also learn about the moral of the story.
Personal/Critical Response: This myth caught me by surprise because Theseus was such a great character and all he did was help but it didn’t end well for him. This myth is a great story to tell those kids that think it is ok not to pay close attention.
(Myth)
(Motif: seven youths and seven maidens)
Characters: The main character is named Theseus. He is the son of King Aegus. Theseus is a young man that everyone loved because all he wanted to do was help others. King Aegus married a new wife named Medea and had a second son named Medus.
Setting: The myth takes place in Athens.
Theme: Two themes take place in this myth. The first theme is being a good person takes you to far and the second theme is to pay closer attention to what you have to get done. The people love Theseus because he is such a helpful person but at the end, he made a mistake that took his fathers life.
Plot/Summary: When Theseus was born his father moved and created his own family. His mother told Theseus that one-day when he was strong enough his father left him gold sandals and a gold sword. Theseus finally was able to get the gold gifts and he wanted to show his father his strength. He went on a journey to find his father and during that journey, he made the roads safe by killing all the bad robbers. Upon his arrival, his stepmom wanted to kill him because she wanted her son to become king. King Aegus found out and sent her away. The king shared his problems with his son and his son found a solution. The King told him when he returns to place a white sail to know that he made it back safely but the son forgot and the King would never recover from that. The end Theseus learned a valuable lesson. He made one single mistake because he wasn’t paying close attention and it cost his fathers life. The moral of the story is to pay extra attention to what you are doing. The book had simple but lifelike images that helped me imagine the story. The words fit into the picture so there isn’t one blank page.
Target Audience: The target audience is ages 8-11 because they will learn about different places on Earth, like Athens and they will also learn about the moral of the story.
Personal/Critical Response: This myth caught me by surprise because Theseus was such a great character and all he did was help but it didn’t end well for him. This myth is a great story to tell those kids that think it is ok not to pay close attention.
April 28, 2026
The description of Theseus in the maze, facing the minotaur is so well done. The language is evocative and rich.
October 30, 2019
This book was a little lengthy as a picture book, and definitely could have been illustrated more, but the story was a good read about confidence and overcoming a challenge.
October 23, 2015
Fisher begins with a map of the part of the world in which our story unfolds. Ancient Greece is the locale, and we very clearly shown the passage from Athens to Crete, from Crete to Naxos, and lastly, the tragic final voyage from Naxos back to Athens.
My criticism of Hutton's version of the story was that I felt he spent too much time explaining the entire circumstances behind the existence of the minotaur and the nature of the tribute, and not enough time wandering through the bowels of the labyrinth in search of monstrous prey. Fisher exacerbates this, but also manages to give a more satisfying end battle sequence.
We begin with the birth of Theseus, and are told that, "at the moment of his birth, his father, King Ageus of Athens, buried his favorite gold-hilted sword and sandals under a great rock."
When Theseus is big and strong enough to move the rock, my sword and my sandals will be his. Then and only then will Theseus be my heir and successor!
I tried doing something similar to this when Arlo was born, but Melinda didn't go for it.
At first glance, this set-up appears to be a direct precursor to the Sword in the Stone from the King Arthur legends. On the next page, Theseus has indeed grown to such a stature that he is easily able to lift the rock and retrieve the hidden items. Now he must travel to find his father, who has since remarried and had another child. Along the way, Theseus must battle a giant named Procrustes and two robbers named Scinis and Sciron. Word of his battles spreads and he is able to return to his father's court, a hero!
But the joyous reunion is short lived. His father tells him of tale of the King Minos, of his labyrinth, and of the beast that lives there. "Its dark passages are endless and confusing. No one escapes the labyrinth, not even the Minotaur. Soon I must send the fourteen. Pity them, and pity us to have to bear such burdens."
I like the way Fisher paints the interior of the labyrinth. Very dark, very foreboding. Though there are no forking paths, it appears to be only one singular and gloomy passageway. It only gets one painting, too, for with a turn of the page later, Theseus has found his prey. I know the whole conceit of Ariadne's ball of thread is that he does not have to get lost, but can find the Minotaur straight away, but still, the child in me lusts after a truly terrifying sequence of a man lost in the bowels of the maze. Isn't that what you think of when you imagine the labyrinth?
Fisher's minotaur resembles a tall, strong man wearing an oversized bull mask, but he does manage to make him look terrifyingly enraged, and I love the description of their battle:
"Quickly he backed away from the beast, holding his sword straight out before him. Again the snorting Minotaur attacked. It lowered its head and charged, hoping to pin Theseus to one of its great horns. But Theseus dodged the attack and came up behind the huge beast, chopping a blow that drew blood from the Minotaur's shoulder."
It goes on for several more sentences, in this way, and I could really imagine the fight the two of them must have had.
Finally, since this is the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, we know that things can not end happily. Ariadne and the rest of the prisoners are rescued, but that night the god Dionysus appears to Theseus in a dream, and commands him to leave Ariadne behind on Naxos so that he can marry her. Theseus does as he is told, which is slightly different than how Hutton interpreted the tale. Fisher's Theseus seems to be a real hero when it comes to giants and beasts, but at the first call of the gods, he cowers and asks no questions. His cowardice then indirectly results in the death of his father, who runs to the edge of the cliff and throws himself into the sea at the sight of the black sail on the returning vessel.
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My criticism of Hutton's version of the story was that I felt he spent too much time explaining the entire circumstances behind the existence of the minotaur and the nature of the tribute, and not enough time wandering through the bowels of the labyrinth in search of monstrous prey. Fisher exacerbates this, but also manages to give a more satisfying end battle sequence.
We begin with the birth of Theseus, and are told that, "at the moment of his birth, his father, King Ageus of Athens, buried his favorite gold-hilted sword and sandals under a great rock."
When Theseus is big and strong enough to move the rock, my sword and my sandals will be his. Then and only then will Theseus be my heir and successor!
I tried doing something similar to this when Arlo was born, but Melinda didn't go for it.
At first glance, this set-up appears to be a direct precursor to the Sword in the Stone from the King Arthur legends. On the next page, Theseus has indeed grown to such a stature that he is easily able to lift the rock and retrieve the hidden items. Now he must travel to find his father, who has since remarried and had another child. Along the way, Theseus must battle a giant named Procrustes and two robbers named Scinis and Sciron. Word of his battles spreads and he is able to return to his father's court, a hero!
But the joyous reunion is short lived. His father tells him of tale of the King Minos, of his labyrinth, and of the beast that lives there. "Its dark passages are endless and confusing. No one escapes the labyrinth, not even the Minotaur. Soon I must send the fourteen. Pity them, and pity us to have to bear such burdens."
I like the way Fisher paints the interior of the labyrinth. Very dark, very foreboding. Though there are no forking paths, it appears to be only one singular and gloomy passageway. It only gets one painting, too, for with a turn of the page later, Theseus has found his prey. I know the whole conceit of Ariadne's ball of thread is that he does not have to get lost, but can find the Minotaur straight away, but still, the child in me lusts after a truly terrifying sequence of a man lost in the bowels of the maze. Isn't that what you think of when you imagine the labyrinth?
Fisher's minotaur resembles a tall, strong man wearing an oversized bull mask, but he does manage to make him look terrifyingly enraged, and I love the description of their battle:
"Quickly he backed away from the beast, holding his sword straight out before him. Again the snorting Minotaur attacked. It lowered its head and charged, hoping to pin Theseus to one of its great horns. But Theseus dodged the attack and came up behind the huge beast, chopping a blow that drew blood from the Minotaur's shoulder."
It goes on for several more sentences, in this way, and I could really imagine the fight the two of them must have had.
Finally, since this is the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, we know that things can not end happily. Ariadne and the rest of the prisoners are rescued, but that night the god Dionysus appears to Theseus in a dream, and commands him to leave Ariadne behind on Naxos so that he can marry her. Theseus does as he is told, which is slightly different than how Hutton interpreted the tale. Fisher's Theseus seems to be a real hero when it comes to giants and beasts, but at the first call of the gods, he cowers and asks no questions. His cowardice then indirectly results in the death of his father, who runs to the edge of the cliff and throws himself into the sea at the sight of the black sail on the returning vessel.
http://www.picturebooksreview.com/201...
https://www.facebook.com/picturebooks...
Read
December 5, 2007Written and illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher, published by Holiday House, 1992.
Summary: A retelling of a prominent Greek myth about the young hero Theseus who slays the Minotaur and becomes ruler.
Response: This story is powerfully illustrated and is an approachable version of the classic tale. Some of the language and concepts may need to be further explained to young children.
Possible Units: Greek Mythology.
Read
October 2, 2012very exciting both boys waiting on every word
January 10, 2013
Morals of the story: It can be a challenge to please your dad, don't take another god's woman even if you really, really want to, and always change your sails.
January 31, 2014
This picture book gives a little more background history about Theseus before he battles the Minotaur.
June 7, 2016
A nice addition to any elementary classroom/library for students covering or interested in Greek Mythology.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews