Greece! Rome! Monsters! [Hardcover]

John Harris (Author), Calef Brown (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Everybody's heard of a centaur, but not everyone has seen a blue centaur dressed to head out to a disco! He's one of the updated mythological creatures who populate Greece! Rome! Monsters!. This book presents twenty creepy creatures--from harpies to Medusa herself to the fire-breathing Chimera--in jazzy retellings by John Harris, with eye-popping illustrations by Southern California illustrator Calef Brown. Together, the words and pictures provide children (and grownups!) with close encounters of the mythological kind. Includes a bonus pronunciation guide and a pop quiz that will test to see if young readers have really been paying attention.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This unsatisfying compendium profiles mythical creatures, from dangerous ("Scylla consisted of twelve dogs that never stopped barking") to darling ("Everyone loves a Unicorn!"). A rooster-headed, dragon-bodied Basilisk, shown trotting across a volcanic landscape, kills with an angry glance: "One look from him/ and whammo! you're dead. (And that's where we get the strange expression a basilisk gaze.)" Prancing fauns cause a literal "Pan-ic," since "Pan liked to jump out from behind a bush or rock and scare people Booo!" Harris, a senior editor at Getty Publications, offers pithy remarks on the animals' weird features, but gives the actual myths short shrift. He mentions only that "Cerberus had a run-in with the hero Hercules" (a few pages later, readers learn the Cyclops Polyphemus "had... a run-in with Odysseus") and that "Bellerophon and Pegasus had many neat adventures"; dated slang like "way out" seems as antiquated as the Minotaur. On the other hand, the hippie lingo complements the artwork, which favors groovy shades of sour-apple green, turquoise blue and terracotta orange. In Brown's (Polkabats and Octopus Slacks) portraits, a centaur sports a pompadour and leather vest, and the caftan-wearing Sirens resemble 1960s folk rockers. Such an oddball approach could be entertaining, yet the volume feels incomplete; in addition to the mythic characters' sketchy backgrounds, a concluding quiz asks for just 11 of the 20 figures, and a pronunciation guide lists some words and not others. Ages 9-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-7-"One look from him and whammo!-you're dead. That's a basilisk for you.- (How's this for gross? If you were stung by a basilisk, your flesh would fall off your bones!)." Twenty monsters from Greek and Roman mythology receive this very accessible and entertaining treatment. Each creature, from centaur and minotaur to sirens and unicorn, gets a paragraph or two on a spread illustrated in a quirky and colorful style. Harris makes plenty of references to the myth(s) in which the monster is featured, as well as to relevant literature and art. Buy this book for your students who are already reading myths, but make sure that those whose interest is piqued by it know where to find the stories.
Sally Bates Goodroe, formerly at Harris County Public Library, Houston, TX
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: J. Paul Getty Museum; 1 edition (October 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892366184
• ISBN-13: 978-0892366187
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #592,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mother of a 5YO boy says this is an AWESOME book!, January 15, 2003

By 

Tracey S. Sang (Encinitas, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greece! Rome! Monsters! (Hardcover)

I was given this book (and it's matching stickers and magnets) as a xmas gift for my 5YO son who loves dinosaurs and monsters and now he is OBSESSED with it and wants it read to him every day! It has totally gotten him interested in greek mythology and given him a very impressive knowledge of the characters that most adults can't claim. He even asked to go to the library for more books on greek mythology - i got a few but nothing can hold a candle to this one. it's just so geared towards kids and is written in a lively, fun and conversational style - the illustrations are great too. I'm going to give it as a gift whenever i get the chance!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars With simplistic, stylized color illustrations, November 14, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greece! Rome! Monsters! (Hardcover)

Greece! Rome! Monsters! is an engaging children's picture book by John Harris about fantastic mythical beasts. The legendary Chimera, Griffin, Minotaur, Phoenix, and many more are each summarized in a two-page spread and brought to life with simplistic, stylized color illustrations by Calef Brown in this magical bestiary which is especially recommended for beginning to intermediate readers.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to greek mythology, May 8, 2008

By 

L. Ojeda (New York City, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Greece! Rome! Monsters! (Hardcover)

When I was a child I loved greek mythology, so when my daughter started taking a real interest in reading (more specifically having a bedtime story every night), I wanted an easy introduction to mythology. This book includes illustrations by Calef Brown, who authors some of the better children's poetry books, so it looks familiar to her. All in all, a great purchase if you're looking for an introduction to mythology and the stories behind some of the monsters your kid will see just watching TV.