Customer Reviews

Adventures of the Greek Heroes

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read this book when I was in middle school and really wanted to read a book about Greek mythology because that was my main interest back then. I read this book and enjoyed it, despite its childish narration(a bit more fit for six year olds). However, I was disappointed when I did further research and discovered that many of the myths were wrong in this book. For one thing, in this book, when man disregarded the gods, the gods took fire from mankind and Prometheus took the fire from the gods to return to men, but as punishment he was chained to a rock. Well, anyone who knows mythology well enough knows that Prometheus actually stole fire to introduce to mankind and was honored, but later punished because he made it so that the gods got the worst of the sacrifice. In addition, the book doesn't say that Hercules performed his labors for the king because of Hera's jealousy. Instead, it makes it seem like the gods sentanced Hercules to work for the king for no reason at all. I was also ticked off by the puny, unecessary dialogue and the fact that the Latin equivalents of the Greek gods were used instead of the real Greek names(such as Minerva instead of Athena). Now, for some postivie info, it does at least have some good illustrations and most of the stories actually were right. I must admit it did a fairly good job at telling the stories of Perseus, Orpheus, and Theseus. I would for sure not recommend this book if you're looking for an introduction to Greek mythology. Instead, I recommend checking out Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia(with plenty of articles on Greek myths) and "D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths". If you'd like to read this book, better to go for the library than to buy it.

A resource/reading teacher at the third grade level for almost three decades, I have used Adventures of the Greek Heroes to great effect at the beginning of the year. The book is on a beginning third grade level. The controlled vocabulary will annoy older readers, but suits young readers. A great introduction to the Greek myths, and surprisinly detailed in its accounts of the six or so heroes on which it is mainly focused: Prometheus, Hercules, Perseus, Theseus, Orpheus, Jason. It's about 170 pages and well-illustrated.

Adventures of the Greek Heroes is by no means comprehensive. For that you need D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths, which is on about a fifth grade level. A wonderful book that is indeed encyclopedic. It begins with the origins of the gods and proceeds roughly chronologically to the Trojan war.

Wiseman and McClean's Adventures of the Greek Heroes, nonetheless, is a very valuable introduction for younger readers, eight and nine year olds, particularly for boys, who, as we all know, are less inclined to read. This book motivates third grade boys like few others.

... The purpose of a children's book on mythology is not tooffer adult versions of the myths in any didactic manner, but topresent the myths in a manner that would interest a child, and Iremember reading this book over and over when I was young and lovingit. The stories are exciting and the drawings very nice, and while Inever really became interested in Greek myths later, I still have mycopy of this book thirty years later. For a child, this is a fine bookof adventure stories, and it need be no more.

This was the first book I read as a 6-year-old after the basic learn-to-read primers. It sparked a love for Greek myths and other classics that has lasted to this day. There are some changes in the text, but it puts the plot in terms a child can understand without embarrassing a parent. Came back to buy the book for my own daughter.

My daughter read this book when she was 6, and it really got her excited about Greek mythology. True, it's not the most comprehensive account of most Greek myths, but then the stories have to be boiled down quite a bit for very young readers. Complications of the original stories--such as sex and violence--have to be soft-pedaled. I think this books is a good first encounter with Greek myths. After all, it's hard to go wrong when you have those great monsters and heroes.

Stories of the Greek heroes and their many adventures have been continously told for over 2,500 years. They are beautiful stories that still resonate in the modern world. These are foundation stories and educated people need to be famliar with them. There is nothing like introducing people to these stories in their childhood.

Most of the great heroes are present in "Adventures of the Greek Heroes". This volume serves as a great introduction to the tales of Hercules, Perseus, Theseus,Orpheus, Meleager and Jason. The stories are reduced down to their key elements and are best suited for young children. Whenever you pare classic stories down to their basic elements, there are plenty of legitimate grounds for criticism. This book is best understood as a gateway into the world of Greek Mythology. I look forward to reading more about these heroes in other books.

I'm using this book with my six year old to introduce her to the Greek myths and I agree with the other reviewers here: it's a good book for that purpose, getting kids interested in the material and providing them with some good background on which to build later. Some of the stories are wrong, yes; but what bothered me more was the use of the ROMAN names for the Greek gods instead of the Greek names (e.g. Vulcan not Hephaistos, Diana not Artemis).

That is exactly what you'll be saying as you read this book. This book was so full of lies concerning greek mythology that it didn't hold water! I can't believe that I am still alive after finishing this book. Please, oh please, don't read this book! If you want to purchase a great book about greek mythology, go to the book search part of Amazon.com. Simply type in "Greek mythology" and a whole list of excellent literature will pop up. Now there are so many books to choose from I recommend only choosing the ones with 4 stars or higher. (my personal favorites.) Now, get this book away from me!