Young Zeus

by G. Brian Karas

From acclaimed illustrator and author G. Brian Karas comes a witty tale about navigating family and finding one's voice-based on Greek mythology! This is the story of how young Zeus, with a little help from six monsters, five Greek gods, an enchanted she-goat, and his mother, became god of gods, master of lightning and thunder, and ruler over all. in doing so, he learned a lot about family. Who knew that having relatives could be so complicated, even for a god?

Genres: Picture Books, Mythology, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Greek Mythology, Adventure

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

G. Brian Karas has illustrated close to ninety children’s books. He has also written and illustrated several titles, including HOME ON THE BAYOU, a BOSTON-GLOBE-HORN Book Honor winner. He lives in Rhinebeck, New York.

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This is the story of how young Zeus, with a little help from six monsters, five gods (his brothers and sisters), his mother, and an enchanted she-goat (that's me!), became god of gods, master of lightning and thunder, and ruler over all."

So begins the adventure of young Zeus as he defeats his father, frees his uncles/aunts from the underworld, and manages to boss his bickering older siblings around long enough to become ruler of Mount Olympus.

I was amused by the story; I think Karas had fun writing it and that fun comes through to the reader. Plus, it was fun seeing a nod to Hesiod's "Theogony" (gosh, how many times I had to hear about that in my college class when we covered Greek Mythology!) in an author's note for a picture book.

However, I do think this book might upset some children. The gods and goddesses of Greek mythology are so flawed and their antics are so crazy, and that is definitely portrayed here. Some of the illustrations are a bit scary (you know, the cyclopses and hundred-handers and daddy Cronus swallowing his kids!) and some children might feel insecure at the idea of parents playing favorites. But some kids will probably love this stuff and little siblings will probably delight in the fact that youngest brother Zeus ends up reigning over his older siblings.

[Kim Bahr]

An introduction to Zeus’s young life with lots of appositives

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I saw this in the library and had to find out how in the world someone managed to turn the story of young Zeus into a picture book appropriate for young children. The author omitted the most gruesome bits, but managed to keep quite a few others in with some sugar coating. For example Cronus uses a sickle to banish his father Uranus to the bottom of the sea, but Karas doesn't specify for the reader exactly how he did that. No one actually dies in this book, they just get "banished to the bottom of the sea". I was highly amused by the bickering of the gods once they are freed. I was also amused how the epic battle for dominion over the earth reads like a school yard play session. Overall a successful rendering of a horrific myth into a delightfully fun tale for children. :)

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Zeus introduces the concepts of mythology with an adapted tale about Zeus. It is a great story for young elementary school aged kids. The storyline is quite readable and the illustrations are fabulous. They definitely add to the look and feel of the concept.

With only a few lines of text on most of the pages, it is possible to read this book to younger children. However, the story is fairly long so it may or may not keep their attention for the entire time. Little ones did like the illustrations and we spent most of our time focusing on them.

[Tobey · Rating 5 out of 5]

my 3-3/4 year old son and i can now tell you all about zeus's immediate family and the tale that led up to his becoming god of all greek gods. as he told his friend: "wanna hear a strange story? but it's really interesting." move over cliffs notes.

[Paige Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Young Zeus

Author: G. Brian Karas

Illustrator: N/A

Genre: Myth

Theme(s): Myths, Greek Mythology, Zeus, Gods and goddesses,

Opening line/sentence: On a night long, long ago, Rhea gave her baby Zeus to Amaltheia, the enchanted she-goat, who lived in a cave on the peaceful island of Crete.

Brief Book Summary: Young Zeus opens with his mother leaving him with the she-goat, Amaltheia, in order to hide him from his evil father. Young Zeus learns from her that his father is evil and ate his siblings, who he wants to play with, and eventually, his mother comes and tells him how to free them. He uses a potion given to his to free his siblings, who then help him to kill their father and face the titans. In the end, they go together to happily live on Mount Olympus.

Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Horn Book Guide: (2) K-3 In simple, colloquial language ("'Who are you?'...'I'm your mother,' said Rhea. 'Give me a hug.' But...'You missed all my birthdays!' said Zeus"), Karas renders myth into farce, with cartoonlike characters ranging from the appealing boy god to his monstrous dad. Amusing (if at times a bit scary), this is a singularly irreverent take on an ancient creation story.
http://www.hornbookguide.com/cgi-bin/...

Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Kirkus Review: Adding a few details of his own (“ ‘I’m Zeus, your brother,’ said the victorious young god. ‘Let’s play!’ ”) to ancient sources, Karas tracks the mighty lad as he grows up in hiding, forces his father Cronus to vomit up his older brother-and-sister gods, then frees his aunts and uncles the Cyclopes and Hundred-Handers to battle their own sibs, the Titans, for supremacy. Using pencil and gouache on heavily textured paper, the author/illustrator creates hazy scenes of the lightly draped gods and their diminutive rescuer quarreling amongst themselves, oblivious to the huge, brutish monsters closing in. Both playful scale and amusing details will ensure illustrations get second and even third looks. Carrying a sheaf of oversized lightning bolts, Zeus prevails against both the Titans and his immediate clan, ushering in an age of “fun and order on Mount Olympus.” Underplaying the old tale’s violence (and leaving the gods’ sexual “fun” out altogether) without losing its general drift, the author crafts a robust but light alternative to the plethora of more conventional renditions available.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...

Response to Two Professional Reviews: Following reading the second review, I took the chance to re-look at the illustration in more detail, and noticed the amusing details he mentioned. Illustrations spread across pages to show scenes full of action and color. While I was not previously familiar with this origin story, both reviews comment on how the book did a great job at keeping the accuracy in the story and mixing it with a unique take on the story that focuses on kids and family, as Young Zeus and his siblings fight off their father and the titans so they can go play together.

Evaluation of Literary Elements: One element I really like as soon as opening the book, is a cast of characters, where you can learn how to pronounce their name and see where they fall in relation to each other to make to story itself much easier to understand. I also really like that a few times throughout the story, Zeus sings a little song, adding a musical element within the book. The story is actually quite accurate, but still makes the child characters relatable as the siblings bicker and their ultimate goal is just to be able to play together. The characters being children makes Greek mythology much more relatable to students, and introduced characters, such as Hades, that they will surely learn more about as they learn more about Greek mythology elsewhere.

Consideration of Instructional Application: While the book may be slightly confusing without at least a little understanding of Greek mythology, this book would go best in a unit about Greek mythology. Since Zeus is an extremely well known God, the unit would not have to be extremely in depth as it can be in older grades. I would expand upon this book in a couple different ways, first, creating a family tree with what we learned in this story and others. I would also have students invent their own mythical god, where they could design their lineage, powers, and more.

[Britney Padilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Myth – Grades 2-3.
This story is about how Zeus became the god of all gods and a master of the lightning bolt. The story begins with Zeus’ mother giving him to a goat named Amaltheia to keep Zeus safe from his father. Soon after, Zeus began to question why there was no one for him to play with. The goat explained that trouble started with his grandparents. They had twelve children, who were known as the Titans. Three of those were Cyclopes and three were the Hundred-Handers. His grandfather had locked up some of them up in the underworld because he was ashamed of them. Zeus’ grandmother did not like this one bit so she sent Zeus’ father, Cronus, to cast him from his throne but in doing so he did not free his monster siblings. Cronus even went as far as eating his own children to keep his new power. Years went by and Zeus was still lonely. He knew he had to save his brothers and sisters. Zeus then went on a mission to try to free his siblings from Cronus’ belly. The next mission Zeus had to complete was to release the monsters from the underworld. Once he reached them, he explained that he was their nephew and needed their help to defeat the Titans. They were so glad that they rewarded him with some lightning bolts. Zeus used these lightning bolts to help defeat the Titans. This is how the greatest god of Mount Olympus was chosen. Strengths of this book were how the author embedded his version of the time before Zeus was the most powerful god of ancient Greece. The author keeps Zeus’ family members as part of the story. This book, although short, has good character development for Zeus. One feels the loneliness that he feels in wanting to play with other children. One also cheers him on during his trials. A weakness would be that the goat was not a very big part of the story. The intro mentioned that with her help we was able to become “god of gods, master of lightning and thunder, and rule over all.” Amaltheia only really suggested that he eat something in the beginning of the story. I expected her character to be more of a fairy godmother/guide type of character. I would recommend this story to children in second to third grades and could be used as part of a lesson plan. It is a good intro into the subject of Greek mythology for that age level since it also mentions the Titans, the Cyclopes, and the other important gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. The illustrations were created with gouache, which is a type of watercolor, and with pencil. The colors used were warm earth tones. The illustrations cover the entire page and panels are only used the goat is telling Zeus how he came to be all alone. Bright yellows and light blues are used in the illustrations that show Zeus to be happy. Furthermore, the sequencing of the illustrations flow very well with where the text is on each page.

[Macy]

Title: Young Zeus
Author: G. Brian Karas
Illustrator: G. Brian Karas
Genre: Myth, Juvenile Literature
Theme(s): childhood, doing the right thing, independence, cannibalistic father, resilient
Opening line/sentence:
On a night long, long ago, Rhea gave her baby Zeus to Amaltheia, the enchanted she-goat, who lived in a cave on the peaceful island of Crete.
Brief Book Summary:
After Zeus was born, his mother gave him to a she-goat in order to hide and protect him from his father. When Zeus was older he found out the real reason he was hiding. His father was afraid of being overthrown by one of his children, so he ate them all and left his own brothers and sisters, the cyclopes and hundred-handers, in the underworld. Zeus really wanted to play with his brothers and sisters so he found his father, put a potion in his mouth, and sang a song in order to free his siblings. Zeus then had to find his aunts and uncles, the cyclopes and the hundred-handers, in the underworld in order to fight the titans. Once Zeus won, he freed the cyclopes and the hundred handers and became ruler of Heaven and Earth.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Beverley Fahey (Children's Literature)
Before he reigned supreme on Mount Olympus, Zeus was a plucky kid living in Crete out of sight of his father Cronus. His grandmother told him the harrowing tale of Cronus, who left the Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handers to suffer in the underworld and ate his own children, so afraid was he that one of them would overthrow him. Only Zeus escaped the fate carefully hidden away by his mother. A brave and fearless lad, Zeus sets out to find Cronus and when he meets up with the sleeping monster, he frees his siblings by pouring a foul potion down Cronus throat. The bickering brothers and sisters in typical fashion fail to heed their little brother s warnings and so it is left to Zeus to liberate the Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handers and slay the mighty Titans by flinging lightning bolts from the highest mountaintop. His chagrined but still grumbling siblings disagree about how things should be run on Mount Olympus until Zeus yells, From now on we do things my way. And they do. What fun there is in this rollicking and irreverent tale that mixes classical language with simple direct colloquial expressions. The bickering family has all the foibles and fun of a typical modern family, and readers are sure to identify their own sibling among Zeus many brothers and sisters. The very readable text that abounds with humor just may encourage children to give the myths ago. The comic illustrations rendered in gouache and pencil have a smoky texture, with the tiny Zeus seemingly no match for the horrific monsters. What child will not giggle at the sight of the siblings being spewed from the mouth of Cronus? It is wacky and irreverent but that is what makes it so appealing. This great read aloud gets a solid two thumbs up. 2010, Scholastic, $17.99. Ages 6 to 10.
(PUBLISHER: Scholastic Press (New York:), PUBLISHED: c2010.)
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2011)
Karas s whimsical account of the story of Zeus s early life provides young children with an engaging introduction to Greek mythology. The light humorous tone of both the text and the illustrations neutralizes some of the more sinister mythological themes (unwanted children, cannibalistic father) without watering down the original story. Karas chooses to retell the version in which Zeus is raised by the goat Amalthea (though, sadly, he left out the details about how the goat kept baby Zeus hidden from Cronos). He then moves on to tell how Zeus outsmarted Cronos to free his siblings and unleash his uncles from the Underworld, and the resulting battle between them and the Titans. Much of the story is relayed through witty, modern dialogue that somehow manages to stay true to the essential characters, and even include a few in-jokes for those who already know their mythology. CCBC Category: Folklore, Mythology, and Traditional Literature. 2010, Scholastic Press, 48 pages, $17.99. Ages 4-8.
(PUBLISHER: Scholastic Press (New York:), PUBLISHED: c2010.)
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
I agree with both reviewers because they discuss how this book is a good resource for children to start reading myths. It has qualities of typical myths and also has humorous and relatable text. The second reviewer failed to discuss the importance of the imagery in this book which is a crucial part of this story as a whole. The illustrator depicted Zeus and his brother and sister as colorful, small, and round while the Titans were depicted as black, scary, and huge. I also think the reviewers should have discussed the theme of the story which was being able to stand up for yourself no matter how small or helpless you may feel.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
Just as we learned from Molly Bangs, the illustrator of this book drew the “good guys,” Zeus and his siblings, as being colorful and round while the “bad guys,” the titans, we depicted in dark colors with rigid edges. This allowed the reader to be able to tell what was going on in the story without even reading the words on the page. Also, the illustrator depicted Zeus as being very small and almost looked incapable of fighting the titans, but the story proved otherwise which shows that anything is possible as long as you try hard and do what is right. The plot of the story was a good introduction into mythology due to the fact that it had typical mythological themes like unwanted children and rising up against parents. The humorous and suspenseful text will definitely get the attention of young children.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
I will read this story to children from 2nd-3rd grade in order to discuss the importance of bullying. Zeus stood up for himself when he believed he was not getting treated correctly. I will ask them to write down a time in which they either stuck up for themselves or stuck up for someone else and how it made them feel. This does not have to be shared with the rest of the class if the students do not want to. Bullying is a very sensitive topic that needs to be discussed in the classroom. I believe discussing sticking up for oneself could be done after reading this story.

[Emily Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was a really cute and fun way for younger readers to learn about Greek mythology, specifically about Zeus. One thing I thought was really cool was the introduction of the narrorator and the characters that would be in the story before the story actually began. I think this is important for young readers since the names in Greek mythology can be a little tricky to learn and pronounce at first. I thought that it was cool that they made Zues so young, but he was the one who saved the day and was able to stop arguing between his older siblings, which younger grades may think is fun. The first battle in the story when Zeus freed his siblings from Cronus also showed the importance of team work. I think there are a lot of lessons to be pulled from this book and found it overall really interesting. The book also had a lot of research go into making the myth accurate, but still accessible to younger readers.

[Taylor Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Copyright: 2010
Number of pages: 48
Book format: print
Reading level: pre-k-3; Lexile measure: 570L
Genre: fiction
Lit requirement: myth

The story of Young Zues takes readers throughout the life of Zues, the God of Gods, became just that. With the help of six monsters, five gods, his mother, and an enchanted goat, he eventually becomes the ruler of Heaven and Earth. To find out how, you will have to read.

This story was very interesting because the tales of the Greek Gods and Goddesses are fairly popular, but I never knew how Zues became the one in charge. This story tells the reader exactly what happens, and although it might get a little confusing with all of the characters, I thought it was neat to see how it works out. I think this would be a great choice for a lesson on Greek Mythology, so that is why I gave it five stars.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

The children's book, "Young Zeus" by G. Brian Karas gives children a fun and interesting take on Greek Mythology from an easy to comprehend perspective. This story follows the young character of Zeus and how he managed to overthrow his father and bring order to the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus. The author manages to take information and word it in a manner that makes it appealing and appropriate for children. The illustrations are created in such a way to further give the impression of imagination or make-believe through the use of light lines and hues. Overall, this is a great book that gives children an introduction into folklore.

[Megan Wellander]

This is a book about the myth story of Zeus and how he came to power but defeating his father and saving his siblings. It is told that Zeus is of young age, more of a teenager. It is the typical story because Zeus with six other monsters, five other Greek gods, a she-goat, and his mother who has turned against his crazy dad. Since he saved his family, he also learned about his family and earned his role as in charge.

This story, though long and specific tells a great story of the actual myth story of Zeus. It is a hard topic to fully understand so I would say that it is directed at middle to higher elementary students.

[Melanie Vacco · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. One award in Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2011.
2. Grade Levels: 3-5
3. This book is about a young god named Zeus who sets off to save his brothers and sisters from his father Cronus, after Cronus had eaten them whole. Zeus makes friends along the way and learns to persevere in his efforts to save his siblings.
4. This book is such a fun way to teach kids about greek mythology. With its dark undertones yet lighthearted plot, Young Zeus shows kids that making friends and having fun is all about good communication.
5. After the book is read the class will discuss the family members and how they are all related. The students will then get a family tree worksheet to fill in the members of Zeus and his family.

[Hannah Kalberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the traditional story of Zeus is pretty gruesome, this cute story puts a child-like fun spin to it. A young boy, Zeus, his other God-friends, and a she-goat. Greek Mythology is a complex subject that a lot of people are familiar with, but this childrens' book makes it easy for kids to learn about and understand, which I like! It has messages of trials and endurance, familial loyalty, and friendship. While it does have great illustrations, the pages and information including are lengthy and may be hard to understand for young children. Overall a fun book!

[Savanah Malone · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an interesting book to read for "Myth/Legend". I don't read much books with this type of genre because it's not something I tend to like to read, but this book I would enjoy reading again. This book especially had a different story which made me intrigued to keep reading. Which I think is good for young readers because the story will attract those type of readers wanting to read these type of books.

[Maria Nicopolis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this novel because the way the author introduces Zeus. I also like this novel because it gave me more background and the knowledge on the mythology and the general mythology. I also like this novel because the pictures crack me up and also because they mention some of the characters that I could use for my project.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young Zeus is a the story of Zeus. I think the story is complex and has enough twists and turns that will keep children coming back for more. This is a good start to begin the understanding of Greek mythology. The cast of characters at the beginning is very helpful to be able to refer as the story goes. There is much to be able to further explain to children.

[Kamryn Buckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young Zeus is a book made for children about the historical and well-known story of Zeus. This story introduces the concepts of mythology through the telling of his life. Zeus finds out the truth about his family. Zeus sets off on a mission to rescue his siblings. This is a great story about family, relatives, and hero-ism.

[Kevin McNally · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has a deep fascination of the mythology surrounding the Greek gods and goddesses, this was a book that I thought was enjoyable. Watching as Zeus came to be the god of gods, with help from his family of course, was simply touching and heartwarming. The pictures are well drawn and colorful, and the lessons learned are valuable for young children.

[Hannah Atwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells greek mythology and the story of zeus as a child. It had fun pictures, but was long and would be difficult for a young child to follow. I would recommend this book for upper elementary.
This book would be great to give background knowledge for a class if they were about to begin a lesson or unit that involves the concept of mythology.

[Isabella Sotlar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but it was definitely not my favorite book in the world. It was the story of Zeus from the time he was little, thus, the title young Zeus, I enjoyed this but I just did not think there was anything special about this book. It was very well done, I just do not think I would choose this book over another book.

[Jody Cornelius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. Good introduction to Greek mythology for younger kids. I personally had a little bit of a hard time looking fondly on Zeus because I had recently read Circe by Madeline Miller so I still have a less kind Zeus in my head, but that's the fun of mythology, right? Different tales and takes on the same characters.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greek Mythology is an interesting subject and one that might be better for older children (depending on their sensitivities). However, this book was really well done to help younger kids better relate to and learn the ancient and rather gruesome story of how Zeus became King of the Gods. My kids loved it.

[Raven Cleveland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of how young Zeus, with a little help from six monsters, five Greek gods, an enchanted she-goat, and his mother, became god of gods, master of lightning and thunder, and ruler over all.

[Amber Logue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of how Zeus came to rule over all other Gods, but in a child friendly manner. The illustrations bring to life the story. This book would be a fun way to introduce elementary students to greek mythology.

[Regan Brakebush]

This was nice. A little violent and too long for very young children, but it does a great job of explaining how Zeus became ruler of the gods. You could use it with older children since the language is much simpler than other forms. It was interesting and not bogged down by unfamiliar language.

[Jake Delaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the book because it is a coming of age story of the Greek God of all Gods, Zeus, and also introduces a lot of different characters from Greek mythology. This book would be a good place to start for Greek mythology for a younger audience, and the illustrations are great as well.

[Nathan Ifft · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a great introduction to Greek mythology. It is a good retelling of the myth for children to enjoy. The illustrations were also very unique and eye catching. The author was able to make a complicated subject such as a Greek myth into a simple fun story for children.

[Hailey Corman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember learning about Greek mythology in elementary school, this is a great read aloud book during that unit. It simplifies it in a way that kids can understand; family. It examined it in a way I had never heard before, and finally understood.

[Keegan M · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a decent book but it wasnt my level of reading.