The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus

This work does a nice job of simplifying complex material for young children to be introduced to Greek myths and gods/goddesses. Material is rendered age-appropriate (they avoid the subjects of castration, rape etc). For the most part, the rendering of Greek mythologic material is well done for young children. However, there are several notable problems with the presentation of this material. For one thing, the illustrations render some of the important gods and goddesses (Zeus, Aphrodite) as blond and blue eyed. Greeks are generally a dark people, and the implications of these depictions are upsetting (the main god is blond while the more subordinate ones are dark-haired, the goddess of love is blond, these things have social show more implications.) Another upsetting aspect is the introduction, which is condescending to the culture that these myths were a part of, saying things like "people began telling stories to explain the mysteries of life," and "people believed that the myths were true," implying that they were not true. It is imperialist to imply that these myths are not or were not true (it would be rude to say that Christians made up the Bible to explain the mysteries of life, and that people believed that it was true). For these reasons this book is better off not promoted.

Teachers and librarians should reconsider the inclusion of this book in curriculum or programming due to the disrespectful approach to the culture being represented. show less

Aliki was one of my favorite authors/illustrators when I was little, and I still enjoy her art a lot. I'd have to say that this was one of my favorite Aliki books. She has always done such a great job with illustrations. While I wish the stories themselves could have been a bit more fleshed out, the pictures are lovely, and this is a fantastic addition for any child's library. Highly recommended for your little one - though who knows, Mom or Dad (or any other adult) you might enjoy it too!

This was a very informative and beautifully illustrated book about the origins of different gods and goddesses in Greek mythology. I originally hoped this would be a good addition to a history lesson about Ancient Greece or a language arts lesson about myths and folklore, after reading it I think it might be a little too inappropriate for younger children. The reading level is K-5, but I think this would be better for middle school children. I did enjoy the book though, especially given my interest in Greek gods and goddesses.

A beauitfully illustrated guide to Ancient Greece's Gods and Goddesses. It gives a very child (and adult!) friendly overview of the history of the gods and their stories. I MUST for any classroom leaning about Greek Mythology!

My first book by Aliki and my first book on mythology. This is a great, simple introduction to Greek mythology with lovely illustrations kids should enjoy.

This was a good book for a reader that is interested in myth's because it includes many stories that are written in a way that young readers can understand the story. Also, the illustrations were colorful and some pages held numerous pictures in aa style more relating to a comic book layout.

The book begins by telling the story of how the greek Gods came to be.It then went into detail about each God and their specific power, such as Zeus and Athena.