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Greek Mythology


kwg
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Ds10 is very interested in greek mythology right now and is reading reading reading. Anyone have any not to miss books I could throw his way?

 

Thanks!

 

 

Oh, I need to follow this closely, my 8 y/o is like that too. Loves Greek mythology. She has been Athena twice now for Halloween!!

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Well, I think D'Aulaires' is at the top of most people's list. There is also D'Aulaires' Norse Mythology too.

 

We also like Rosemary Sutcliff's books. (Black Ships before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus)

 

If you have Netflix you can look up Jim Henson's The StoryTeller- Greek Myths. Some young children might find them a little scary though so you might want to preview.

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We like the books by Bernard Evslin. He's got a series of nicely illustrated books called "The Monsters of Mythology", and he also has books about various heroes, etc, and he likes to tell the less-well-known parts of the stories, which can be a nice change of pace. My husband really likes reading them aloud because the text is beautifully worded (he's picky that way).

 

Dd9 is also reading Bullfinch's "Age of Fable" right now as a part of her Ambleside reading, and generally enjoying it (though she wishes it were Greek-centered instead of Roman).

 

:)

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My ds was interested in reading some when we started studying the Greeks a couple weeks ago. Our curriculum doesn't really include the myths so I bought him the D'aulaire Book of Greek Myths. He is just reading through them on his own and is enjoying them so far. I was surprised how thick the book really is. My ds is 9 and I think it is perfect for that 4th-5th grade age range.

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We read love Colum and McCaughrean and many others (not so much D'Aulaires'... we're not fans), but my kids have picked up and retained more from a three volume graphic novel/manga format series called Greek and Roman Mythology by Cirro Oh than from any other source.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Greek-Roman-Mythology-Graphic-Novels/dp/9810522401/

 

http://www.amazon.com/Greek-Roman-Mythology-Cirro-Oh/dp/981052241X

 

http://www.amazon.com/Greek-Roman-Mythology-Graphic-Novels/dp/9810527667

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We have D'aulaires and have read other books (and listened to audiobooks) from the library.

 

My son also likes the Myth-o-mania books, by Kate McMullan. They are great for the kid who already knows a lot about Greek Mythology because the stories are told from a different angle.

 

My DD loves mythology and just discovered Myth-o Mania. I agree...great for someone that already knows the basics. She actually just spent some of her own money to buy one to keep! :)

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We've read and love many of the books already mentioned. A beautiful book (easy read) is Pegasus by Marianna Mayer.

We just listened to a neat CD (as part of our orchestra study) The Constellations: A Guide to the Orchestra. It covers constellations and the myths that go with them. We have it on Rhapsody and available at the library... it was a nice find. :)

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When I was that age, I read every Myth book I could get my hands on. They were all good. Seeing the slightly differences in the stories was interesting to me. One word of warning, though. I read one step more than I'd want my daughter to read. So, I thought I'd warn other parents.

There is a common theme where hero needs to do an impossible task. He goes to a god and gets some magical trinket that lets him complete the task. Some stories will indicate that the god could not say no to this hero. Which begs the question, what could hero have possibily done to be owed a favor by the god. I kept looking for an answer. The one step too far answered that. In that time period the rite of manhood involved an older man kidnapping an almost_man and taking him into the woods. Then teaching him how to be a man. They would hunt and fish and *ahem* other things. After that, the younger man could demand favors of the older man.

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