William F. Russell

This book is a gem, particularly if you want to engage younger readers with ancient myths without compromising on the quality of the stories. There are two different reading levels (5+ and 8+), but the true value lies in the way the book is designed.

Each story has an about section at the beginning, giving the reader, and the audience, some extra information about why this story is worth reading. Additionally, each story has an approximate reading time (which makes it so much easier to plan show more which story to read when), and it includes a handy pronunciation guide for the often confusing Greek names and places. Finally, each story has “a few words more” where the author shares immediately applicable information about the impact of the story, which really makes an impact right after the story is finished. It highlights the root ideas of modern words, or even the colloquial expressions tied to that particular myth. This is a must-have for anyone who wants to encourage young people to explore the myths and stories of the ancient world. show less

I read most of this to my daughters but didn't quite make it to the end with them, so I read the last two chunks of stories to myself.
I'm glad other parents had better luck reading these to their kids. I wonder how many of the positive reviews are from parents of boys, because wow did my girls not connect with these at all. I enjoyed reading them (honestly, I think at this point I just like spending time with my children in general) and I think it's good I "exposed" them to this material, show more but by the end of our time with this book together we were just kinda making fun of the predictability of the stories. It was fun to see the mortals make the same mistake of pissing off a god or goddess, and the deities being petty or jerks (or both) and then overreacting.
But, yeah, the stories were all about men doing stuff. If the story was about a woman, it's probably because she's super pretty, and that always means bad news for her. It's never good. It's never "she was so good-looking they decided her thoughts were probably worth hearing." And the rare times a woman actually did something it was to help the guy reach his goal.
Lest you take what I'm saying the wrong way. I'm not saying that these myths are "bad" because of the above, or trying to "cancel" them, but it's something you ought to be aware of before you share it with your kids, especially if after a dozen stories they keep seeing themselves reflected as objects rather than subjects. show less

The story of Damon and Pythias is a classic good vs. evil where good triumphs over evil. Damon and Pythias are the best of friends, with such a close bond they would die for one another. Dionysius is a tyrannical leader who wishes to put Pythias to death because of a dream he had, but when he witnesses the trust and love Damon and Pythias have for one another he has a change of heart and lets both friends free and asks if he too could be friends with them as they are to one another. The show more story is a moral lesson of how true friendships should be. show less

This book is a collection of Greek and Roman myths. The book contains several different myths about why things are the way they are. The myths are quick and easy to read. The book is designed for early elementary students to middle school. The book contains a summary of Greek roots and words and what English words were derived from them. I like how this book has separate stories where a child could read or listen to the stories they are interested in instead of reading the whole book. It show more also has explanations at the end of each chapter on where the origin of words might come from. I personally enjoyed reading the myths and couldn't put this book down once I started reading it. The stories keep you engaged and are so quick and easy to read. If you want to learn about a certain god or goddess, you only have to read part of the book and not the whole thing. show less