The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy

Travel back to a mythical time when Achilles, aided by the gods, waged war against the Trojans. And join Odysseus on his journey through murky waters, facing obstacles like the terrifying Scylla and whirring Charybdis, the beautiful enchantress Circe, and the land of the raging Cyclôpes. Using narrative threads from The Iliad and The Odyssey, Padraic Colum weaves a stunning adventure with all the drama and power that Homer intended.

This is a really enthralling read. Padraic Colum is a natural story teller, with a gift for transporting readers into a magical land. All of the magic and drama of The Odyssey and the Iliad, Achilles, Trojans, Scylla, Charybdis, Circe, and Cyclops. Powerful and heroic, a triumphant book. The writing is sophisticated and complex, some explanation and patience may be needed, and well worth it.

A lovely prose retelling of Homer's Odyssey and Iliad, with illustrations by Willy Pogany. Nice endsheets with a map showing the various places where Odysseus went on The Boundless Sea, with fish and a ship.

This is a fun introduction to Homer. It is written in prose by Newbery honor winner Padraic Colum, and is well done. It is one of the few "easy" versions of classics that I recommend.

I finally realized I was never going to read The Iliad, so I decided to read this adaptation instead. I felt it was very satisfactory and wished I thought of it before.

This version of The Iliad and The Odyssey is incredibly child friendly. It is approachable and is brought down to a level that still includes necessary information but is appropriate for children.

I downloaded the a free audio version and listened to it with my children at bedtime. I had never read the original Homer but I knew of the tale. It was nice to hear the adventures and tales in accessible language.