My 6th grade students are reading the Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief in their ELA class and are about to begin researching Greek gods and goddesses. While I was selecting books and other resources for them to use in their research I was very distracted and kept stopping my work to read books about Greek gods and other Greek heroes.
First up: Young Zeus by G. Brian Karas. This is a really fun picture book with graphic-novel-like panels that tell the story of young Zeus and his discovery that he actually had lots of brothers and sisters who were trapped inside his father Cronus's stomach. Zeus frees his siblings from his father's insides and a big war begins. With a little help from some relatives (the Cyclopes and Hundred-Handers) Zeus and the other Olympians win the war. Fun book for those just beginning to learn about the gods.
I moved on to The Iliad and the Odyssey retold and illustrated by Marcia Williams. In this book, you get the basic information of the two epic poems via comic book-like panels with very modern dialogue. The main points and characters are covered and you get the essence of each character and the story. I think this is a great one to read BEFORE trying to tackle the real deal so you have a good understanding of who's who.
I moved on to a graphic novel version of The Odyssey by Tim Mucci. I liked this one too - The format/layout is very "graphic-novel-y" and I really liked the artwork. Odysseus is telling Calypso of his travels and adventures trying to get home. She's trying to convince him that he can stay with her forever. Of course Athena speaks up for Odysseus and Calypso eventually lets him go. He eventually makes it home to Penelope and Telemachus ready to take his crown once again.
Finally, I read The Mighty 12: Superheroes of Greek Mythology by Charles R. Smith, Jr. This is a picture books with all 12 Olympians, along with a few other characters like Hades 3 headed dog Cerberus & Medusa. Each character has a 2-page spread with a poem telling their story and personality. The illustrations are great and I think this is another great one for someone just getting started in Greek mythology.
Thanks, Ms. McCabe. I can't wait to read those books!! I just finished a Revolutionary novel by Bernard Cornwell, THE FORT, about the 1779 battle for Penobscot Bay. Unfortunately, the patriots lost that battle due to some very poor strategic choices, so it was hard to read. I hated seeing the British win!! And Paul Revere comes off as less than a hero in this one. Kathy
ReplyDeleteMs. McCabe,
ReplyDeleteI just finished a fairly new book, THE IMPERFECTIONISTS by Tom Rachman about the demise of an international newspaper based in Rome. It was a series of short stories which all mesh together. I have to say, all the characters were very unhappy with their lives, and their jobs so that it was a bit depressing. It has gotten great reviews, so maybe I just don't like reading about sad people.