Myths, Monsters and Mayhem in Ancient Greece
Myths, Monsters and Mayhem in Ancient Greece delivers just that! Some of the oldest stories ever told, those of the ancient Greeks, are given new life in the comic format of this book – comic in both senses of the word. Woven with the same thread as Terry Deary’s Horrible Histories series, Davies’s retellings are engaging and fun with a large dollop of educational merit thrown in for good measure. Full-colour illustrations do their bit to encourage reluctant readers to give the book a go, and they are duly rewarded.
Tales of one-eyed monsters and heroes and heroines getting themselves into sticky situations abound. Meet the ancient Greek gods from Mount Olympus in one doublepage spread, with illustrations that mimic the style of ancient Greek pottery. After adjusting to the book’s comic-book style in the pages previous, the transition to ancient ceramic illustration isn’t a hard one to make – in fact, a rich comparison can be drawn, seeing both artistic endeavours in a new interconnected light. Who knew comic-book panels were so similar to the storytelling illustrations depicted on ancient Greek vases? So much pedagogical value is packed into this unassuming comic-book format that you are left feeling like a scholar of ancient Greece. Learn the stories behind Pandora’s box, Achilles’ heel and, of course, a scattering of wonderful new characters you’ve never even heard of before. The narrative injects such theatrical entertainment into the ancient Greek stories that you can almost hear a family acting out the roles of the characters as they read through them. Guaranteed to cause a few chuckles before bedtime, sending kids off to sleep dreaming of worlds where flying on the backs of winged horses is as commonplace as eating your cereal in the morning.
