Is there a good collection of Roman Myths?

[Karen in CO]

My dd8 loves myths and well-told stories, and she loves all things Roman. But I can't find a good version of Roman mythology that satisfies her. I generally love everything Geraldine McCaughrean writes, but the Roman Mythology book we have is too simplified for my dd now - she loved it in K and 1st. Right now she is reading McCaughrean's 1001 Arabian Nights to herself and loving the stories. We have also loved Padric Colum's Norse Myths and found many wonderful, rich versions of the Greek myths.

 

So with that info about us, can somebody help us to find a wonderful, rich collection of Roman myths? Thanks

[Kfamily]

Not a collection but what about In Search of a Homeland (Lively) or The Aeneid for Boys and Girls(Church).

[Karen in CO]

Thanks. I will have to read the Church book to see what's in it. I have In Search of a Homeland and its in line for her to read. It is very good, but I was hoping for something with stories about Jupiter, mars, Apollo, Romulus and Remus and stuff like that. I have Bulfinch's mythology (but I haven't read it in a few years)- I guess I need to pull it down and see how good the writing is and how much editing I would need to do. Most of the books I find online are out of print or expensive and my normally good library is lacking. I keep hoping there is a great version out there that is aimed between the lower elementary student and the high school student and is beautifully written.

[dragons in the flower bed]

So with that info about us, can somebody help us to find a wonderful, rich collection of Roman myths? Thanks

 

I'm not sure there is enough Roman myth to compile a rich collection, unless you mean historical legend. Rome was the great melting pot.

[jellogirl]

Rome borrowed most of its mythology from Greece. I hope you find something, though.

[latinteach]

My dd8 loves myths and well-told stories, and she loves all things Roman. But I can't find a good version of Roman mythology that satisfies her. I generally love everything Geraldine McCaughrean writes, but the Roman Mythology book we have is too simplified for my dd now - she loved it in K and 1st. Right now she is reading McCaughrean's 1001 Arabian Nights to herself and loving the stories. We have also loved Padric Colum's Norse Myths and found many wonderful, rich versions of the Greek myths.

 

So with that info about us, can somebody help us to find a wonderful, rich collection of Roman myths? Thanks

 

"Gods and Other Odd Creatures" by Rose Williams (CicadaSun). It's true that the Romans did borrow a great deal from the Greeks, adopting the stories that they liked and then giving the gods and goddesses new names, but the Romans did add some of their own unique characteristics to the gods. Rose Williams has a witty writing style. The first half is about the deities and she compares the Greek versions with their Roman counterparts. The second half is about temples and holidays. She also wrote "The Original Dysfunctional Family" and "The Labors of Aeneas: What a Pain It Was to Found the Roman Race" which is a retelling of the Aeneid. (The Aeneid picks up where the Iliad left off, telling the story of the Trojans after the destruction of their city, and how they went on to found Rome.)

 

Also see Edith Hamilton's "Mythology," which is similar in tone to Bulfinch and Colum and Frankel's "Aeneas: Vergil's Epic Retold for Young Readers."

Edited March 21, 2009 by latinteach

[clwcain]

I think I was about 8 or 9 when I first read Edith Hamilton.

 

I'll have to check out the Rose Williams books.

[Karen in CO]

I'm not sure there is enough Roman myth to compile a rich collection, unless you mean historical legend. Rome was the great melting pot.

yep - I know this - and we have great versions of the Greek myths. She just likes the ancient Romans better than the ancient Greeks. She'd change her name to Minerva if I'd let her.

[Karen in CO]

I think I was about 8 or 9 when I first read Edith Hamilton.

 

I'll have to check out the Rose Williams books.

 

 

I remember reading Hamilton in high school. But you read it at 8 or 9? Cool. I'll dig up that as a possibility too. I know she does spend some time on specific Roman stories. I'll have to see about content.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

My dd8 loves myths and well-told stories, and she loves all things Roman. But I can't find a good version of Roman mythology that satisfies her. I generally love everything Geraldine McCaughrean writes, but the Roman Mythology book we have is too simplified for my dd now - she loved it in K and 1st. Right now she is reading McCaughrean's 1001 Arabian Nights to herself and loving the stories. We have also loved Padric Colum's Norse Myths and found many wonderful, rich versions of the Greek myths.

 

So with that info about us, can somebody help us to find a wonderful, rich collection of Roman myths? Thanks

 

I was looking for a children's version of Ovid's Metamorphoses but couldn't find one. I also read Edith Hamilton when I was young. You might see if this would be too much for her. (Of course, not being a kid's book, it will have lots of details about Zeus/Jupiter's lack of marital faithfulness.)