Renthead Mommy Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Can I get reviews/ thoughts on The Children's Homer by Padraic Colum and Mary Pope Osborne's Tales from the Odyssey (books 1 - The One-Eyed Giant, book 2 the Land of the Dead and book 3 - can't find the name right now). Are they basically the same? Would reading both be redundant? Or do they cover different parts of the story? I don't normally have choices. Usually it's just take what you can get over here. Suddenly two choices is a lot! LOL! Also, this is for a read aloud for a first grader, but he has an excellent attention span and is really enjoying the ancients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 I can tell you a little about MPO's books-- Love them for 1st-3rd grade. The story is told in order, not starting in the middle like the "real" Odyssey. There is, of course, violence, and it's not really toned down--heads roll, eyeballs are gouged (just one, actually! lol), etc. There's no mention of sex when Odysseus stays with the goddess chick (name escapes me). The books are beautiful, nice to hold, hardbacks with some illustrations. Dd adored them, and remembers all of the story. I think we read them thru 3 times, and she read a little on her own. She enjoyed acting out scenes as I read, for some reason. The whole story is covered in books 1-6, and I would read them all, not just 1-3. You want Odysseus to get home, don't you? heehee. I'm going to have dd read Rosemary Sutcliff's version for Logic stage, and the real thing for Rhetoric. These nifty little volumes pack a lot of story in simple language that can readily be understood by most 1st graders--The Children's Homer may be better-written, but MPO's version is easier, I feel, and more approachable by young ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 We love all things Greek myth and the MPO series is a favorite. We also have it on audio. We very much like Rosemary Sutcliffe's as well, but only the ones with the Alan Lee illustrations. My eight year old is an expert on Greek mythology by now, it is her bread and butter. When decorating the Christmas tree she tossed me a golden apple and said, "Here Mommy, the golden apple of discord". :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karenciavo Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 The vocabulary in The Children's Homer is richer IMO. I tend to like old books for that reason. Also, it doesn't just deal with the Odyssey, the Iliad and other tales are wove together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 For younger kids in maybe K-3, The MPO are wonderful. I loved them. They are nothing like the magic tree house books. These give a little taste of the language that they will hopefully come to love later in "real" version of these tales - there is even a mention of "wine dark seas". I highly recommend these for that age group. These would also be great for a child that is reading chapter books to read on his own and discuss, and then have The Children's Homer read to him for comparisson. For the older grammar stage or even a younger logic stage, The Children's Homer is a great place to start especially if the child is comfortable with longer books with a richer vocabulary. For the logic stage, I love the Sutcliff versions which are saved for an older child not because of language but because more mature subject matter is introduced. Then by the time the child is in the Rhetoric stage, they can enjoy and not fear one of the excellent real translations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 I think it depends on the ages of your kids. The MPO series is more appropriate for younger kids, and Colum's work is more appropriate for older kids. We tried reading The Children's Homer, and my daughter (6), who is normally not put off by violence (she loves Harry Potter and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and doesn't flinch when animals devour one another in documentaries) told me, "Momma, this is too violent." She didn't like that it was about a war. We shelved The Children's Homer until the logic stage and went with Tales from the Odyssey, which both my kids adore. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HCATeach Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 I've been looking for it! :confused: I'd love to have the books AND audiobooks. TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 I've been looking for it! :confused: I'd love to have the books AND audiobooks. TIA! Here's the CD collection. Here's Book 1 at Amazon. All are available there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 We zoomed through the MPO series here. Becca was completely riveted and always asked for more chapters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in SW WA Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 The vocabulary in The Children's Homer is richer IMO. Yes! We love The Children's Homer! Great prep for the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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