A-maze-ing minotaur

Juliet Rix, 1961-

Book - 2014

Retells the Greek myth of how Theseus defeated King Minos' Minotaur with help from Princess Ariadne.

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Subjects
Published
London : Frances Lincoln Children's Books 2014.
Language
English
Main Author
Juliet Rix, 1961- (author)
Other Authors
Juliet Snape (illustrator)
Physical Description
1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm
ISBN
9781847804310
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

King Minos of Crete keeps the monstrous Minotaur in the labyrinth beneath his palace. Every nine years, he feeds the beast 14 young Athenians. When Theseus, the Prince of Athens, arrives as one of the 14, he falls in love with Minos' daughter, Ariadne. With her help, Theseus enters the subterranean maze, slays the Minotaur, and sails homeward with Ariadne as well as his compatriots. The telling is simple, direct, and satisfying, while a historical note and a map help readers put the tale into historical and geographical perspective. In the first half of the story, the rather stately but intriguing illustrations are often divided horizontally to show events taking place above ground, while the Minotaur lurks below. The double-page picture of Theseus entering the labyrinth depicts it as a dark but fascinating three-dimensional tangle of torch-lit stairs, landing, and passageways. The endpapers feature a handsome repeated design inspired by the bull-leaping fresco from Knossos. An engaging picture-book version of the Greek myth.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 4-A diluted but satisfactory picture-book version of the terrifying tale of Theseus and the Minotaur. King Minos keeps the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monster, beneath his castle in a long and complex maze. Every nine years, Athens sends 14 children (seven girls and seven boys) to the king in order to feed the terrible beast as compensation for an unmentioned debt. Theseus, prince of Athens, joins the sacrificial group but swears to kill the Minotaur. Upon arrival, he meets Minos's daughter, Ariadne, who offers her assistance, helping Theseus to kill the Minotaur and escape. The bright watercolor illustrations were inspired by the Minoan paintings found at Knossos on the island of Crete. A glimpse of the terrible maze under the castle provides glimpses of the beast below while the principal action takes place in the palace above. Readers will enjoy following the twists and turns in a spread of the maze, which includes the bones of former occupants, broken pottery, and snakes. A brief account of the archaeological discovery of Knossos and a simple map of Crete and its surrounding geography is appended. Those seeking to round out their mythology collections will find this an acceptable choice.-Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH (c) Copyright 2014. 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 Kirkus Book Review

With the help of a beautiful princess, Theseus solves the mystery of the Labyrinth. King Minos, ruler of the island of Crete, is "a very powerful manbut he [is] not a very nice one." In his infamous Labyrinth, he keeps the dreaded monster known as the Minotaur, who is fed 14 young Athenians brought every nine years from across the sea. Athenian prince Theseus wants to end the carnage, so he joins the latest group. Fortunately for him, Minos' daughter Ariadne falls in love with him. She gives him a small sword to hide in his tunic and a ball of golden thread that he clutches to his heart as he sleeps. Next morning, Theseus ties the thread to the Labyrinth door, clutches the sword tightly, slays the Minotaur and makes his way out. Theseus, his friends and Ariadne sail in triumph back to Athensthe book omits his abandonment of Ariadne on the island of Naxos and his carelessness with the sails that results in his father's suicide. The book's raison d'tre is an Escher-like spread that gives readers a chance to "navigate" the multilevel maze along with Theseus, but it does not live up to the hype on the front cover. The painterly two-page illustrations and blocks of heightened prose reinforce the majesty of the myth, though both components sometimes seem fusty.A middling treatment all around. (Picture book/myth. 6-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.