Customer Reviews

Island of the Minotaur: Greek Myths of Ancient Crete

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Sheldon Oberman draws various Greek legends together in a neat package that is suitable for young children (8 and above) to get their first taste of gods, goddesses, heroes and monsters. Adults, too, should enjoy the book, which is a fast read and a refresher on several key stories.

The stories are written clearly and plainly, suitable for young readers without being dumbed down so much to insult them. Illustrations by Blair Drawson are colorful, exaggerated and humorous. Island of the Minotaur is a fun and informative reinterpretation of these ancient myths for a new generation of readers.

Presented by Sheldon Oberman, Island Of The Minotaur: Greek Myths Of Ancient Crete presents classic tales including the story of the deadly Minotaur that roamed the terrible Labyrinth, the winged boy Icarus who flew too close to the sun, Theseus' struggles against the ruthless witch Medea, and much more. A final, true tale of Sir Arthur Evans, a real-life treasure hunter who discovered the buried secrets of the ancient Minoan civilization adds a particularly welcome embellishment to this outstanding compilation of Hellenic mythology. Full-color illustrations by Blair Drawson well serve to highlight this engaging compendium of ancient tales told down the generations from antiquity to the present day.

We got this book as part of our history curriculum for homeschooling. We read it while also learning about the ancient island of Crete.

The story of the Minotaur has always excited my son, and this story just added fuel to the fire. We both enjoyed learning the background to who the Minotaur was. The writing style was exciting and informative. The final chapter was very helpful in showing what we really know about Crete and what was myth.

The illustrations are a little strange, but intriguing.

I must warn you, this is not for the faint of heart. Some of the stories are violent and gruesome. It is not meant for young children. My 7 year old does not mind this kind of stuff, but I know many kids this age or even older where parts would not sit well. If this is a problem, I would suggest reading it first and figuring out what to leave out (if using it as a read aloud as we did). Not all the stories are problematic in this way. (Although with Greek Myths there is going to be a certain amount of death involved anyway.)

I do not have any real knowledge about Greek Mythology, so I cannot comment on how true to the myths these are or are not. But being as they are myths anyway, they make for a good explanation to Crete history.