Review by Booklist Review
This large, opulent-looking volume introduces 25 major figures in Greek mythology. A typical entry opens with a dramatic, double-page illustration and continues with four pages that include descriptive and narrative text, a large illustration, a sidebar, a decorative border, and plenty of white space. The informative sidebars are illustrated with small photos, digital images, and reproductions of period art and artifacts. With so many figures to introduce in a limited space, powerful stories sometimes feel overly summarized. Still, Napoli writes in a lively, often colorful style, sparked by such comments as, Wickedness deserves to crawl through the slime. Balit's illustrations feature formal design, brilliant colors, stylized figures, and repeated shapes. The poster-like, double-page pictures are particularly strong. Rounding out the compendium, the excellent back matter includes a map of Greece, a timeline, an annotated, illustrated cast of characters, a bibliographic note, and lists of recommended books and websites. A fine addition to mythology collections.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Napoli brings new life to the familiar stories of Greek mythology in this intimate compilation, telling each tale with grace, clarity, and emotion. When Demeter mourns her missing daughter, "Her cheeks grew hollow, her body gaunt. Greens turned brown.... Hunger twisted the innards of every living creature." Through the brief but vivid retellings, readers will better understand such figures as Apollo, Ares, Dionysus, and Helen, while sidebars contextualize the stories. Balit's majestic and sinuous spreads mimic the drama and passion of the legends. Ages 8-12. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-Wise, witty, worldly, and thoroughly entrancing, this collection presents 25 tales showcasing the Greek pantheon's major players. At once eloquent and elemental, poetic and contemporary, these deftly written selections gloriously regale the characters' legendary adventures while vivifying them with personality. Balit's stunning paintings feature luminous colors, rich patterns, and star-infused motifs. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
With a scholar's grasp of both its religious and its human meaning, Napoli follows Greek mythology's evolution from its creation story and elemental early deities to the psychologically resonant lives of heroes such as Theseus. An impeccable bibliographic note lists sources, from the iconic Hesiod and Homer to the Roman Ovid and modern Edith Hamilton; where these differ, the author chose the earliest versions (thus Helios, not Apollo, is the sun god here). Scholarship never intrudes, however; Napoli's language is as animated as it is thoughtful, her characters fully equipped with histories and emotions that propel their behavior. An invitingly informal narrative (betrayed by Zeus, "Hera went ballistic") is laced with lyrical passages (moon goddess Selene: "silver sweet, and soft, and sad") and enlivened with authorial asides ("How Jason could have thought Medea was a person one could cross is hard to fathom"). From earth mother Gaia to Helen of Troy, twenty-five deities and mortals get full chapters that include Balit's gloriously star-spangled double-page-spread portraits -- boldly expressive, large-eyed, muscled figures in a handsome saturated palette: clever Hephaestus in the wheelchair he invented; barefoot Aphrodite, a symphony of drapery and curves. Vignettes decorate other pages, while captions extend stories, note parallels in other cultures, or comment on related science or history. Back matter includes maps; a timeline; a well-organized summary of the main characters; books and websites for young people; and an index. Lively and authentic, an excellent addition to the canon. joanna rudge long From HORN BOOK, Copyright The Horn Book, used with permission.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
(Mythology. 10-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
