SERIES MADE SIMPLE

Athena

by Eric Braun
9781680721362. ea vol: 32p. (Gods of Legend). bibliog. chart. chron. diag. further reading. glossary. illus. index. maps. photos. websites. Black Rabbit. Aug. 2017. lib. ed. $31.35.
COPY ISBN
Gr 2–4—Designed for emerging or reluctant readers, this series is an introduction to Greek and Norse mythology's characters. The layout includes a variety of eye-catching digital illustrations, infographics, and maps in an easy-to-follow format. The author has culled basic facts about each character's major life events, leaving room for critical thinking (e.g., how could Athena have stepped out of Zeus's head fully formed and wearing armor?). Additionally, readers will appreciate that gods Odin and Loki are given equal time with Thor. Each volume ends rather abruptly with a variation of the succinct but unsatisfying sentence "The stories are old but still important today." However, the back matter does provide options for further inquiry.
VERDICT A well-packaged series that only scratches the surface. Consider for collections in need of mythology-lite.
Figures from Greek and Norse mythology are introduced in short illustrated chapters. Choppy texts cover the basics, but the lack of detail is occasionally odd (e.g, "Athena helped the Greeks win a war" could easily have specified "...the Trojan War"). The illustrations are a disjointed mix including stills from recent films, comic book style renderings, and classical paintings. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.
Reviewed by Staff , Jun 01, 2018

Be the first reader to comment.

Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

SERIES MADE SIMPLE

Las arañas de agua
by Gleisner, Jenna Lee
SERIES MADE SIMPLE

Antarctica
by Whipple, Annette
SERIES MADE SIMPLE

Code Breakers and Spies of the Civil War
by Small, Cathleen
SERIES MADE SIMPLE

Eagles
by Sommer, Nathan
SERIES MADE SIMPLE

How Do Robots Defuse Bombs?
by Ringstad, Arnold
SERIES MADE SIMPLE

Understanding Judaism
by Nardo, Don
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?