Favorite Norse Myths

Summary: Originating from the pre-Christian culture of the Vikings, these myths involve constant squabbling among the Norse gods and goddesses and the frost-giants. Dwarves, dark elves and magical animals are in it, while plots feature clever disguises, spells and crafty ploys, many masterminded by this collection's liveliest character, the trickster, Loki.
Genre: Mythology/ Traditional Literature
Review: I love Mary Pope Osborne so I was excited to see that she writes mythology, and surprisingly well, too. I loved how vivid the characters were. They all play such big roles in the story and I loved reading it. I didn't read all fourteen, but I did read 5 of them. This is great to read to children as a creative writing lesson. They could show more write their own stories with creative and unique characters in it. show less

Stories about the creation of the world, the gods, and humans. These stories share an insight into Norse values. The book itself would be good for a read aloud or individual reading, depending on the age group (probably late 4th-6th grade). In some cases the Norse myths are inescapably brutal, but they also show the value placed on knowledge even by the earliest societies( why was it worthwhile for Odin to lose an eye?). Would be great to use in an assignment asking students to generate pictorial representations of the stories.

I think students would really enjoy reading the Norse myths since they usually hear so much more about Greek, and with Thor and Loki being in the new Marvel movies they'd enjoy background knowledge on them. Beautiful illustrations go with the shorter myths. Will definitely put out during myth unit.

Short and simply told Norse myths. This collection includes fourteen of the classic myths beautifully illustrated with simple, authentic sketches mixed with colorful paintings. Each myth begins with a quote from the "Poetic Edda," the oldest source of Norse myths.

I had not been exposed to Norse mythology much previous to reading this book. I learned a great deal from this book, and think that many students likely have some Norse ancestry, so this is a great book to think about history and values in society.

Mary Pope Osborne, author of the Magic Tree House series, has given us an excellent classic in this book. Favorite Norse Myths would be a wonderful book to introduce students to when they learn about the Greek Myths and tall tales. Those who have watched the recent Thor movies would enjoy reading about the history of Odin, Loki and Thor. Osborne has chosen stories that build upon each other. The book starts with the creation of the world. Oden and his brothers slay the Ice giant Ymir and his body parts become the Earth and sky. This story also describes the relationship between Loki and Thor and how Thor received his Hammer. There is a glossary of how to pronounce the names and a description of each character.
The illustrations are show more created in a Norse type tradition and beautifully depicted. They look as if they are wood-carved like the carvings the Vikings would have created. The illustrations are actually based on Viking drawings that were discovered in the Scandinavian lands. These illustrations are used to introduce each chapter. The art is tasteful and appropriate for elementary ages. show less

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