Comments on: Ancient Greek epics for children?

Question: Ancient Greek epics for children?

expialidocious — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 12:13:22 -0800

I'm looking for a book retelling the Odyssey that's appropriate for an elementary-school-aged child.

My daughter (8 years old, but reading maybe 2 years ahead of that) loves the Odyssey, and asks me to tell stories from it a lot. I don't dwell on gore, but neither do I neutralize the violent parts. I find that she can handle scary things in written or spoken narrative much better than in visual form. Is there a children's edition in which the text is pretty complete (no major plot points left out), not too bowdlerized, and any illustrations are not that scary?

Bonus question: How about an edition of the Iliad that also fits these criteria?

By: sjuhawk31

sjuhawk31 — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 12:17:47 -0800

There's an awesome Duck Tales movie that covers Homeric legend. Episode 1.26 - "Home Sweet Homer"

By: sjuhawk31

sjuhawk31 — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 12:21:02 -0800

*rereads* Oh, BOOK retelling. I dunno.

By: Bromius

Bromius — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 12:21:14 -0800

I can't speak from firsthand experience, but Mary Pope Osborne's six-book series of Tales from the Odyssey is supposed to be pretty good. (

By: Ambrosia Voyeur

Ambrosia Voyeur — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 12:28:43 -0800

Wow, here's one of a series!

By: mattbucher

mattbucher — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:14:17 -0800

Here is a class set for the Odyssey and the Iliad.

By: kittydelsol

kittydelsol — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:45:42 -0800

The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy by Padraic Colum covers both the Odyssey and the Iliad. It might be a bit challenging even for a motivated 8-year-old reader, but it does have good read-aloud potential!

By: kittydelsol

kittydelsol — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 13:51:34 -0800

Forgot to add: Rosemary Sutcliff's The Wanderings of Odysseus and Black Ships Before Troy.

By: junkbox

junkbox — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:03:49 -0800

I have an old copy of The Odyssey as a paperback-sized comic book which covers all the exciting stuff without the lengthy descriptions. I think it's this one; quick read, immersive presentation, no gorey pictures.

By: martinX's bellbottoms

martinX's bellbottoms — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:16:23 -0800

Seconding the Mary Pope Osborne books. My brother of the same age just thoroughly enjoyed them.

By: ubu

ubu — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:20:21 -0800

The Nextext series by McDougal Littell has a retelling of the Odyssey that is very good. It is a text book, but it looks like you might be able to order a single copy from the website.

By: holgate

holgate — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:21:19 -0800

It's out of print, but Tony Robinson's Odysseus: The Greatest Hero Of Them All (book, audiobook, TV series) is a fantastic, albeit very loose retelling of the Odyssey. The BBC really ought to reissue it.

By: expialidocious

expialidocious — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:34:56 -0800

Thanks all. I think Sutcliff's Odyssey is the one that had a too-scary illustration of the Cyclops getting stabbed in the eye. I will look at Black Ships, though, and also the Osbornes. One Amazon reviewer commented that her Odyssey books are better written than her Magic Treehouse series - which is good, because I find those to be really clunky to read aloud.

By: londongeezer

londongeezer — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 15:55:41 -0800

black ships before troy: i must have read that to my 5-year-old son 20 times? entirely adequate, if not genius-level. i had an illustrated version, fairly short text; maybe there's a longer one. i realise it is iliad not odyssey, but there's probably a companion volume; and to a small child, the iliad is perhaps more interesting than the odyssey. try robin hood as well ;)

By: bingo

bingo — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 19:17:45 -0800

I could have sworn there was a muppet version, but I can't remember who was Odysseus. Grover, maybe.

By: bluefly

bluefly — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 20:30:54 -0800

In line with sjuhawk31's suggestion, the PBS show Arthur did a really good adaptation - episode 406 "D.W. Tale Spins."

By: verstegan

verstegan — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 14:44:59 -0800

I grew up with the Barbara Leonie Picard versions of the Iliad and Odyssey, illustrated by Joan Kiddell-Monroe. These would be ideal for reading with an 8-year-old, and I don't think the illustrations would be too scary (they are elegantly done and quite stylised, in the manner of Greek vase-paintings). To my surprise they are still in print, though you might prefer to go to ABE and pick up one of the older Oxford hardback editions, which can still be had quite cheaply.

By: paduasoy

paduasoy — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 15:30:29 -0800

I read Roger Lancelyn Green's versions as a child - Tales of the Greek Heroes and The Tale of Troy.