The Adventures Of Odysseus [Hardcover]

Neil Phillip (Author), Peter Malone (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1997 | Age Level: 8 and up

A retelling of a classic myth adventure is filled with deep-sea terrors, hideous monsters, furious gods, bewitching sirens, faithful families, and more, in a story complemented with Aegean blue-hued illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6. This handsome volume brings to life the adventures of the ancient traveler. Philip reworks and rearranges the episodes into a logical flow, which may upset some purists, but he keeps the language, similes, and metaphors very close to a good translation of Homer's original Odyssey. Beginning with the visit to the land of the Lotus Eaters, readers follow Odysseus as he leaves war-torn Troy for home. He and his men travel to the country of the Cyclops, to Circe's home, to Hades and past the Sirens, Scylla, and Charybdis, and to the home of Nausicaa, before finally landing in Ithaca. The cast of characters is complete, with the divine intervention of Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon well portrayed. An illustrated chart introduces the mortals and immortals featured in this enchanting story. The book does not pretend to be a complete retelling of the Odyssey; but, as the title suggests, it does an excellent job of bringing the hero to light. Malone's delicately detailed paintings complement the text and bring the blues of the Aegean Sea to mind. The figures resemble those found on Greek vases, and several stunning double-page spreads invite readers into the world of myth. A map of Odysseus's travels is also included. For an introduction to this classic tale, Philip's version far outshines the older editions; in groups or individually, students will be well served by this easy-to-read retelling.?Angela J. Reynolds, West Slope Community Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Philip (American Fairy Tales, 1996, etc.) competently retells the famous Greek story of Odysseus's ten-year journey home from the Trojan War, beset by the wrath of Poseidon, various monsters, witches, and his own pride. Some changes have been made, e.g., the fleet is destroyed in a storm, not by the cannibalistic Laestrygonians, who are absent from this version. On the other hand, the Cyclops' killing and eating of several of Odysseus's men is described graphically enough to sate elementary-school bloodlust. What sets the book apart from the competition are the vivid, glowing illustrations. Malone uses stylized figures in archaic poses that seem to have been adapted from Greek vases; he employs brilliant colors and skewed perspectives to dramatic effect. With a beautiful map of the voyage and an illustrated guide to the principal characters, an already grand story has become a sumptuous visual feast. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531300005
• ISBN-13: 978-0531300008
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,354,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Adventures of Odysseus, April 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Adventures Of Odysseus (Hardcover)

Though this book retolds the famous 10-year-voyage of Odysseus,it is still adventurous and fascinating. The writing style is quitepoetic, but the phrases are simple enough for elementary school children (upper grades). The writer and the artist didn't forget the virtue to give us information about an ancient map and Immortals and Mortals. Above all, the illustrations are very intriguing. Blue, gold, and earthen colours bring readers to fantastic and imaginative new worlds of adventure. Also the cleverness of including Milon's famous statue into the illustration of the palace of King Alcinous makes me smile. My 11-year-old daughter and I love this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent in Every Way, February 27, 2002

By 

Pamela Ozaroff (Newton, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Adventures Of Odysseus (Hardcover)

I just finished reading this wonderful book to my six-year-old son, who recently became obsessed with Greek mythology after listening to the audiotapes of the D'Aulaires' Greek Mythology. I picked this version because the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, but I soon became equally appreciative of the writing. I needed to do a little bit of explaining to my son, but not too much. The story carried him along, and the retelling was clear enough--poetic without going overboard, with well-structured sentences that expressive oral reading could handle. I actually read the last third of the book while my son was in the emergency room, getting stitches! He didn't even realize that the doctor had begun stitching his head because he was so busy telling him about Odysseus! I highly recommend this book as a read aloud for a child with a good attention span (able to listen to chapter books) who likes adventure stories. My son spent several years obsessed (and I do mean obsessed) with Star Wars, and now he's moved on to Harry Potter--but Greek mythology and particularly this tale have caught his fancy in the same way.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Intro to a classic, March 30, 2001

By 

"pegmetcalf" (TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures Of Odysseus (Hardcover)

My kids, 8 and 7 year old boys, and I loved this book. The illustrations are wonderful. And it is written in a style that challenged them to listen, but they could definitely understand. Great book!