A story about how being vain can ultimately cause your own downfall. After being in a relationship with Poseidon, Medusa thinks herself equal to a goddess. This angers Athena resulting in her to cast a curse on Medusa. Medusa is stripped from her beauty and instead turned into a monster. Her once blonde hair becomes filled with snakes and her eyes turn anyone that looks at her into stone. This section leaves the message that women should not take so much pride in themselves, which I think test a little on femininity. The story then shifts to talk about Perseus who, in order to save his mother, must kill Medusa. In this interesting myth, readers get to see Perseus through his life and how he came to be the honored son of Zeus. Only downside to this book would be the fact that it does not put as much emphasis on Medusa as it should, but rather focuses on telling the tale of how Perseus came to be. A good introduction for students learning about Greek mythology. ( )

A beautifully illustrated book that talk about the story of Medusa. Perseus, the mortal son of Zeus, is ordered to get the head of Medusa. This book is thrilling and captivating as you learn about Medusa and Perseus' journey. ( )

I love the classic story of Medusa, but the illustrations that accompany the text do not make any sense. Medusa is drawn as a blonde with blue eyes, while Perseus' mother has long red hair. This seems historically inaccurate to me. ( )

Greek mythology has always been one of my favorites, so I truly enjoyed reading this story. Medusa was a very beautiful woman, but because of her vanity the goddess Athena turns her into a gorgon(monster). Anyone who looks into her eyes will turn into stone, and one day a boy from the sea will come to kill her. The half mortal son of Zeus has been given the task of killing Medusa, but how can he do it? The illustrations are colorful and add to the story by bringing these characters to life for the reader. ( )

A picture-book retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Medusa, the beautiful daughter of a sea witch, who is cursed by the goddess Athena and transformed into a terrible creature - a gorgon with snakes for hair. Not content with that punishment, Athena sets in motion a chain of events that will lead the hero Perseus to Medusa, and bring about her destruction...

Lattimore's version of the myth of Medusa is engaging enough, and will probably provide an entertaining story-hour for young Greek mythology enthusiasts. That said, although I understand that ancient myths have many variants, I was surprised to discover that some fairly common elements of this story were ommited. In most versions, it is the actual physical union between Poseidon and Medusa that gives offense, as it occurs in Athena's temple. Perhaps Lattimore felt that this wasn't appropriate for children, as she makes Medusa's vanity the cause of Athena's curse. I might have been able to swallow that, if I hadn't been astonished to see Athena described, on the front dust-jacket, as a "goddess of beauty!" I think that young readers might find this somewhat confusing. ( )