The Trojan Horse [Hardcover]

Albert Lorenz (Author), Joy Schleh (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: K and up

The only picture book available featuring the tale of the Trojan Horse!

The Trojan Horse is one of the best known and most ingenious plans in the history of warfare. But it certainly raises a lot of questions: How did the Greeks, so far from home, pull off this daring feat? How did the Trojans—surrounded in their fortress—have enough food and water to sustain them for years? How could so tall a wooden horse be built unseen?

Albert Lorenz provides his answers to these questions, and others, via art panels, speech balloons, and architectural-style drawings, for a totally unique perspective on the famous conflict. The chorus guides the action, but there is plenty of commentary by the gods, as well as human action on earth. The city, ships, and the horse itself are rendered as architectural cut-aways and elevations to reveal what is going on inside as well as outside.

Packed full of well-researched facts and historical details, this book will appeal to readers looking for an adventure story about military cunning and fantastic events.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-6–Part graphic novel, part picture book, and part Stephen Biesty-style cutaways, Lorenz's work breezes through the Trojan War, focusing on the culminating incident. The author omits grisly matters, leaving in the beauty contest of the goddesses, the rewarding of Helen to Paris, the long duration of the war, and the inspiration to create the great horse. The quarreling gods and goddesses are busts who talk in a modern style (yup, he just declared war!). The full-color illustrations feature ancient artistic motifs, large architectural structures teeming with small figures of humans and animals, cartoon panels of various sizes, and exaggerated facial expressions. Especially notable is a cutaway of the Trojan Horse, showing how soldiers got in and out, and what was included in the structure (notably, a bathroom). An author's note and a cartoon-style map provide further details, including the history of the city of Troy and dates and locations for the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. While the narrative is so abbreviated as to lose much of its more nuanced dramatic tension, the overall question of the story--who will win the war, and how?–is sufficient to keep young readers turning the pages. Not a notable achievement, but still an attractive and inviting title to help update aging mythology collections.–Coop Renner, Hillside Elementary, El Paso, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

As in Kevin O'Malley's Mount Olympus Basketball (2003), this picture book for older readers employs an irreverent comics format to retell Greek myths. The minimal text lacks the polish and drama of the art; the pictures really tell the story of the Trojan Horse, with word boxes fitted into the detailed spreads. Younger children may have trouble piecing together the events on their first viewing, and they'll likely flip frequently to the opening, illustrated list of key characters to help sort out the connections. Teeming with action and detail, the double-page scenes show multilevel cross-sections of a Greek war ship, the city of Troy, and, of course, the Trojan Horse, which includes views of soldiers working, spying, and even using the toilet inside the giant structure. Attractive endpapers show a map of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; suggest Lynn Curlee's Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (2002) to children who want to learn about these wondrous historical accomplishments. For the classroom as well as for browsing. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 34 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810959860
• ISBN-13: 978-0810959866
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,216,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Cool Book, January 7, 2011

By 

Ashley Maple - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Trojan Horse, The (Hardcover)

I ordered this for my first grader to supplement our study of Ancient Greece. We have only leafed through the pages, but wow is it cool! My 6 year old, four year old, and two year old were all crammed around looking at the pages. The layout is comic book style, and narrated by the Greek Gods and Goddesses. The best illustration is a side view of the Trojan horse that shows the various stories inside and where the soldiers hid. The bargain price is just that; an great bargain off of the [...] cover price. I know when my boys get older this will probably be a favorite. I am very pleased with my purchase.