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Showing 349 entries for country: United Kingdom

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Alice Werner

The Were-Wolf Husband

There was a girl, who, after attaining maturity, rejected all the suitors that came for her hand in marriage. This girl’s wish was to have a perfect husband. Her parents, who did not want to have a commoner for a son-in-law, supported her decision. One day, a sword dance was organized in the girl’s village, and young men came from far and near to take part in the dance. Amongst them was a tall and handsome young man who was the centre of attention for every young girl. He wore (...)

african

YEAR: 1933

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Victor Ambrus, Hugh Marshall, Rosemary Sutcliff

A Circlet of Oak Leaves

One evening at a tavern in Isca Silurium (Caerleon), sometime in the mid-second century CE, a group of cavalry auxiliaries and Roman legionaries get into to a debate over who has the most important role during a battle. As the conversation turns to a battle with the Picts beyond the Antonine Wall a decade before, at which point the Thracian horse-trader Aracos steps in and mentions that he fought in the battle as part of the Dacian Horse. When one of his fellow patrons notes that one of the Daci(...)

literary

YEAR: 1965

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Alison Hawes

A Roman Soldier Handbook

This handbook contains information and facts about Roman legionary life, from food to paychecks and to their everyday life in the Roman army. The text is accompanied by photos and illustrations.The book also offers a short glossary and further reading, listing websites, books and places you can visit and learn about the Roman army in the UK, such as Vindolanda.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


David Almond

A Song for Ella Grey

A Song For Ella Grey is a non-linear retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice set in contemporary Newcastle, from the point of view of Claire, Ella’s best friend and lover. Claire disapproves of Ella’s relationship with Orpheus, and is gradually left behind by Ella to witness their love and subsequent deaths. Claire and Ella are seventeen, and Orpheus is described as looking in his early twenties, though it is hinted that he may be much older.Part 1 – Present DayClaire is in love with(...)

literary

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Robert Sutherland Rattray, Maalam Shaihu

A Story about a Giant, and the Cause of Thunder

A long time ago, there lived a man and his wife. He called himself “A-Man–among-Men” (henceforth referred to here as “the pretender”) and was very confident of his strength. One day, his wife went out to draw water from a well but returned with an empty pot because the well was too deep. On her way back, she met a strange woman and her son, who were also on their way to the well. They happened to be family members of the real “A-Man-among-Men” (hencefort(...)

african

YEAR: 1913

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Robert Sutherland Rattray, Maalam Shaihu

A Story about a Maiden and the Pumpkin

There was once a rich man called Alabarma, whose wife, Watapansa gave birth to a girl called Furaira; the man decided that he did not wish to raise a hand to her. One day Watapansa took Furaira to the bush to relieve herself. There, the child saw a pumpkin and asked her mother to harvest it for her to play with. Her mother refused because it was the sole pumpkin in the patch, and she did not want to disturb it. This made Furaira cry all the way home. Once there, the father asked the cause (...)

african

YEAR: 1913

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Robert Sutherland Rattray, Maalam Shaihu

A Story about an Orphan Which Was the Origin of the Saying “The Orphan with a Coat of Skin is Hated, but When It Is a Metal One He Is Honoured”

There was a man who died and left two sons and their mothers, his wives. Time passed, and one of the mothers fell sick. No matter the quantity and quality of medicine that she took, there was no amelioration. Realizing that she would die, she swore in the name of God and told the other woman that she was leaving her son for her to take care of. The other woman (i.e. co-wife) accepted this agreement. One day, she died, and when the funeral was over, her son started rearing fowls with his half-bro(...)

african

YEAR: 1913

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Robert Sutherland Rattray, Maalam Shaihu

A Story about Three Youths All Skilled in Certain Things, and How They Used That Skill to Circumvent a Difficulty

Three young men (known as the king of wrestlers, the king of prayer and the king of archers) went to a neighbouring village with young girls. On their way, they came across a stream, where the water was so shallow that it barely reached their ankles. They crossed with ease, arrived where the girls were, greeted them and carried off one each. On their way back, they found that the waters of the stream had risen, and it had become so deep that they could not get into it. Since none of them could s(...)

african

YEAR: 1913

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Juliet Rix, Juliet Snape

A-Maze-Ing Minotaur

This picture book retells the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. Its retelling is unusual in that the text is framed on each left page, with a split-level illustration spreading across each pair of pages. In the top illustration (usually taking up two-thirds of the image) is the story of King Minos and his action; the lower illustration (one-third) reveals the Minotaur, lurking below. The style of the illustration is influenced by Minoan art, with bright colours, clothing, and wall-decorations, (...)

literary

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Talleen Hacikyan, Michael Rosen

Aesop's Fables

Aesop [an introduction to Aesop by Dr J.R.C. Cousland, Univ. British Columbia]Dog and Wolf;Fox and Grapes;Crow and Fox;Lion, Fox and Wolf;Wolf and Lamb;Mouse and Lion;Frog and Bull;Cockerel, Dog and Fox;Mosquito, Lion and Spider;Fir Tree and Thornbush;The Axe and the Trees;Partridge and the Fighting Cocks;Town Mouse and Country Mouse.Each story is laid out with one page for the tale and a full-page illustration on the facing page. The myths are told in the simple, direct language (note the minim(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Vivian French , Korky Paul

Aesop’s Funky Fables

The work is a selection of Aesop’s Fables, retold for children in verse and prose, using rap and humorous techniques. All retellings have humorous illustrations, in a mixture of watercolours and line drawings.  The Fox and the Crow (8–13) is told in verse, using rap techniques of repetition and other poetic techniques: e.g., ‘Brother CrowPuffed up his feathers with pridePuffed up his feathersPuffed upPuffedAnd opened his beak wide.  “CAW!” said the cr(...)

literary

YEAR: 1997

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


The Rugby Football Union

Age Grade Rugby

This guide from the Rugby Football Union, the governing body for Rugby Union in England, provides information on children’s player progression at all levels from Under 7 to Under 18. Information on player safety is included along with an overview of the personal and social skills fostered by the sport. The guide, pitched both at players and adults involved as e.g. parents, coaches and first-aiders, mixes an emphasis on the benefits of playing rugby union with safety information. Key benefi(...)

ephemeral

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Jane Bingham , Robin Lawrie, Anne Millard

Alexander the Great

This title introduces young readers to biography and history, with elements of geography and politics, in a title that also encourages developing literacy through the use of fairly complex vocabulary and delivery in a relatively lengthy volume. The format is birth to death, following the traditions of biography. A map of Alexander's empire opens the work and orientates the reader, and this is followed by ten chapters on Alexander's life, in which text and image are interspersed; most pag(...)

literary

YEAR: 2004

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Chris Capstick , Monika Filipina

Alexander the Great Dane

This light-hearted story is set in an ancient Egypt ruled by giant cats. The giant cats unfairly favour the normal-sized cats, leaving dogs to do all the work. This injustice has persisted for generations, until "a young pup called Alexander" left his care-free youth behind him to enter a world of toil and decided to lead the dogs in throwing off the shackles of their oppressors. True to the genre of books for young children, Alexander asks dogs of various occupations for their views o(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Jamila Gavin, David Parkins

Alexander the Great. Man, Myth, or Monster?

Alexander the Great. Man, Myth, or Monster? introduces young readers to ancient history via biography. The birth to death format follows the traditions of biography, while the narrative also moves forward and backwards in parts, with the narrator recalling previous events or anticipating events that will occur later. The story is punctuated by mythic tales which are introduced as if being told to soldiers in the story. These embedded myths are well chosen to reflect what is happening in the main(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Michael Townsend

Amazing Greek Myths of Wonder and Blunders: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Greek Mythology

This book contains nine mythological tales written in comic form. First there is a brief introduction of various creatures of Greek mythology, such as the Cyclops, centaurs, Satyrs, Nymphs, Pegasus but also made-for-laugh ones such as a fairy goat or Mer-Donkey. There is an emphasis on the natural world of ancient Greece, where there was no technology, and on monsters, heroes and gods. The Olympian gods are mentioned, with the exclusion of Hephaestus and Ares, although Zeus, Hera, Athena, Apollo(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Colin King, Stephanie Turnbull

Ancient Greeks

This short book starts by introducing "An ancient land", before moving to specific sections, each covering a double spread, on: Life in Greece; Clothes and fashion; What people ate; A trip to market; Feasts and fun; Gods and goddesses; Talking to the gods; Heroes and monsters; The Olympic Games; Greek plays; Mighty warriors; Into battle; and Great Greeks. Each section comprises short sentences in a large font accompanied (...)

literary

YEAR: 2002

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Cath Senker

Ancient Greeks

Ancient Greeks is an educational, introduction to ancient Greek culture aimed at children aged 7+. This title is one of several titles in the Ladybird Histories series, including Kings and Queens, Tudor and Stuarts, Ancient Egyptians, The Vikings, Romans, and Anglo-Saxons. Each is written in a similarly serious tone. Through the combination of titles, the series presents the Ancient Greeks as an important non-British historical society. Ancient Greeks focuses on the Classical period, w(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Joe Lillington, Iris Volant

Ancient Warriors

Ancient Warriors is divided as follows: overview of specific armies; short biographies of military leaders; overviews of battles throughout history. The book covers the Bronze Age until the 14th Century CE and features armies such as the Mayans (pp. 12–13), the Romans (pp. 24–28), the Huns (pp. 34–35), the Vikings (pp. 42–43), and the Samurai (pp. 50–51). These armies are arranged chronologically and are described along with their respective military leaders such as(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Danielle Jawando

And the Stars Were Burning Brightly

Set in Wythenshawe in Manchester, And the Stars Were Burning Brightly follows fifteen-year-old Nathan as he attempts to understand his older brother Al’s death by suicide. Al, a deep thinker and talented artist, seemingly had everything to live for, but Nathan eventually learns that Al was the victim of a sustained bullying campaign on social media and in his everyday life at school and on the estate where they live.As part of his quest for information both online and offline, Nathan gets (...)

literary

YEAR: 2020

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Andrew Matthews, Tony Ross

Antony and Cleopatra

The book belongs to the series by Andrew Matthews, where classic plays of William Shakespeare are retold. The story about Antony and Cleopatra is told in a form of recollections of Servius, one of Antony’s loyal soldiers. Servius goes back to recall memories from the day when he was listening to Antony giving a speech over Caesar's body. Shortly afterward, Servius was appointed to be Antony’s Centurion. Since that moment, the soldier’s memories overlap with the events known(...)

literary

YEAR: 2001

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Ash

Aphrodite

Lyrically a very simple song, Aphrodite describes an encounter of an unidentified first-person narrator falling in love with a woman, who is referred to as the eponymous goddess. While the song is about love, the lyrics hint at a darker side to love as all consuming and weakening; the Aphrodite of the song is referred to as having a "dark power", while the narrator laments that they are "getting lost/ at such a cost/ as I fall/ I feel my heart deceiving even me" and "how(...)

music

YEAR: 1998

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Nick Roberts, Stella Tarakson

Apollo's Mystic Message (Hopeless Heroes, 5)

This is book 5 in the Hopeless Heroes series. This is series of portal-fantasy adventures in which a timid boy travels to the world of ancient myth by means of a magic vase, and learns to be brave through adventures with classical heroes. At the end of the previous book, Tim Baker was told by his mother's boyfriend (and his school teacher), Larry Green, that there is a vase at the British Museum which depicts an image of a modern boy holding a vase. At first, Tim is reluctant to believe it i(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Nick Roberts, Stella Tarakson

Arachne Golden Gloves (Hopeless Heroes, 3)

This is book 3 in the Hopeless Heroes series. This is a series of portal-fantasy adventures in which a timid boy travels to the world of ancient myth by means of a magic vase, and learns to be brave through adventures with classical heroes. Tim Baker, the school-child hero of the book is doing the housework since his mother is busy with her jobs. He catches a spider, and is very interested in it. Yet his mother is afraid of it. Tim decides not to kill the animal but rather set it free outside. H(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Ron Brooks, Jenny Wagner

Aranea: A Story About A Spider

Aranea tells the story of an orb weaving spider who seeks to construct the perfect web. From her home in the "lilac bush in somebody’s garden", she works persistently and secretly at her weaving. Sometimes she herself destroys what she has created before anyone wakes up to see it; other times her webs are broken by stick-wielding schoolboys or housewives hanging out their washing. But while the people register her weaving, Aranea herself remains hidden from sight. Late in th(...)

literary

YEAR: 1975

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shoo Rayner

Archimedes: the Man Who Invented the Death Ray

Archimedes: the Man Who Invented the Death Ray is an illustrated chapter book that explains the life and work of the Greek scientist (287–212 BC). Rayner explains that Archimedes lived in Sicily, in Syracuse, and his inventions (such as the Death Ray of the title) staved off the Roman conquest of Sicily for two years. The chapters describe his discovery of fundamental principles of physics and maths: levers, pulleys, pi, the screw pump, the principle named after him (Archimedes’(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Chinua Achebe

Arrow of God

Arrow of God is a classic tragedy which depicts the fall of a tragic hero caused by both his hubris and outside forces beyond his understanding. The title comes from an Igbo proverb in which a person or event is said to represent the Will of GodEzeulu, the chief priest of the Umuaru clan, wields enormous power over the six federated villages that make up the clan. Part of his role is to store up twelve healthy yams in his barn which he roasts and eats without salt or palm oil immediately he sees(...)

african

YEAR: 1964

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Simon Spence

Atalanta

Atalanta offers a retelling of the myths of Atalanta the huntress for a young audience. The retelling takes a biographical form, opening with Atalanta's early childhood and ending with her living out "the rest of [her] days." This retelling might be considered a feminist retelling of the myths, as the narrator encourages the reader to approve of Atalanta's skills and independence of mind and to disagree with those who wish to limit her actions because she is female. This has th(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Steve Barlow, Steve Skidmore, Andrew Tunney

Athena (EDGE: I HERO: Legends, 5)

In this choose-your-own-path book, the reader is Athena. Athena is punished by the gods because she helped Odysseus evade Hera’s traps. Hera and Poseidon would like to avenge these acts by punishing Athena and stripping her of her divine powers. Athena now becomes a mortal and must face challenges before she can confront Zeus and plead for her innocence. On her way to Mt. Olympus, Athena encounters mysterious creatures and faces real danger. She is chased by the fierce hunter Orion and his(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Imogen Greenberg , Isabel Greenberg

Athena: The Story of a Goddess

This a humorous, illustrated, modern re-telling of the myths of Athena for a younger audience using elements of graphic novel storytelling. Some of the myths told are directly connected to Athena, but this expands into a re-telling of the myths around the Trojan War. This is preceded by a short introduction of each of the main characters of the book, both gods and heroes. The individual myths are not separated by headings, but flow into each other, almost like a biography of Athena. The myths co(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


David Hair, Catherine Mayo

Athena’s Champion (Olympus, 1)

Athena’s Champion begins Hair and Mayo’s Olympus trilogy, which follows the early stages in Odysseus’ story. This novel details his discovery of his true parentage and divine lineage, and awakening to the world of the Gods as Odysseus is selected as Athena’s champion. As her champion, he is required to fight for her on earth alongside – and eventually against – Theseus, another of her celebrated servants. Odysseus begins the story as he attends a coming-of-age(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Stewart Ross

Athens is Saved!

Athens is Saved! opens with a note To the Reader from the author. The note explains that the story is based on a real event, with some invented parts added to make the story more fun. The author adds his wish that the story will encourage the reader to find out more about ancient Greece and perhaps to run their first marathon.Notes on The Story So Far are divided into three sections: Ancient Greece, The Persians, and Athens. Ancient Greece explains that "Before the time of Jesus Christ"(...)

literary

YEAR: 1997

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Johnny Capps , Julian Murphy, Howard Overman

Atlantis (Series)

Jason, a twenty-first-century young man in search of his lost father, travels in a submarine through an under-ocean portal and ends up on the shores of the ancient city of Atlantis ruled by King Minos. He befriends a yet unrecognized mathematical genius/geek Pythagoras and a prizefighter past his prime, Hercules. In this version of the Minotaur myth, victims for the monster are picked from among the inhabitants of the city in a lottery. Pythagoras draws a black stone, but his friends try to save(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Klaxons

Atlantis to Interzone

The title of the song is inspired by both the mythical city of Atlantis as described by Plato in the dialogues Timaeus and Critias and William S. Burroughs' short story collection Interzone. The title of Burroughs' collection itself was taken from one of the stories within, International Zone, referring to the Tangier International Zone that made up part of Tangier, Morocco, between 1924 and 1956 and in which Burroughs lived for a while. Burroughs explored the idea of the Interzone (...)

music

YEAR: 2006

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Brett Bean , Lucy Coats

Beasts of Olympus (Series): Beasts Keeper | Hound of Hades | Steeds of the Gods | Dragon Healer | Centaur School | Zeus’s Eagle | Gods of the North | The Unicorn Emergency

Beast of Olympus (series). The most recent instalment published August 2018:Part 1, Beasts Keeper, 2015,Part 2, Hound of Hades, 2015, Part 3, Steeds of the Gods, 2015,Part 4, Dragon Healer, 2015,Part 5, Centaur School, 2016, Part 6, Zeus’s Eagle, 2016,Part 7, Gods of the North, 2017, Part 8, The Unicorn Emergency, 2018.The protagonist of the series is a young boy called Demon (his full name is Pandemonius) who was taken from his mother by the god Pan (his father) t(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Aleksei Bitskoff, Maz Evans

Beyond the Odyssey (Who Let the Dogs Out, 3)

Beyond the Odyssey is the third book in the Who Let The Gods Out series by Maz Evans, and picks up the story of Elliot and his immortal companions a short time after the end of Simply The Quest. Elliot and the gods are still living at Home Farm, but Hermes remains in a coma and Elliot's mother's illness is getting worse. On top of all that, the school has a sent another "very scary letter’", saying that they are going to conduct a welfare visit to see how everything (...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Alan Lee, Rosemary Sutcliff

Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of The Iliad

Published posthumously in the year following her death, Sutcliff’s Black Ships Before Troy purports to be a retelling of the Iliad, but in fact begins much earlier than Homer’s poem, with the story of the Golden Apple and the Judgment of Paris, and concludes with the Wooden Horse and the Fall of Troy. There are nineteen chapters, followed by a Pronunciation Guide and Bibliography. "The Golden Apple" describes the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, and Paris’ decision (...)

literary

YEAR: 1993

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


John Boyne

Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

This story is about a German nine-year-old boy named Bruno, who lives with his mother, father and older sister in Berlin. One day, the father’s boss, named "the Fury" orders them to move to the countryside. Bruno is not fully aware of his father’s job, but he is obviously sad to leave his friends in Berlin and spend the near future outside the city. There, he sees people in a fenced area through a window–he asks his mother who they are, and his mother tells him (...)

literary

YEAR: 2006

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Richard Woff

Bright-Eyed Athena in the Stories of Ancient Greece

In the women’s quarters of a house in ancient Athens, a young woman learns the art of spinning from older women as they create intricate tapestries while narrating inter-related stories about deities, creatures, heroines and heroes. The stories bear especially upon Athena, the goddess whose cult the women serve as creators of the Panathenaic robe. The young woman – herself to be an initiate in the Mysteries of Athena – listens spellbound to the stories which include Athena&rsqu(...)

literary

YEAR: 1999

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


David Farris , Sandy Ransford

British Museum Fun Book: Ancient Greece

This short “fun book” comprises activities based on various aspects of ancient Greek history, culture and myth. The activities include “spot-the difference” puzzles, crosswords and brainteasers, all aimed to “test and perplex” (p. 4) the reader, along with games and jokes “to keep [them] chuckling” (p. 4). A checklist towards the start gives a brief explanation of the historical and mythical figures and places that appear in the book. Most of the a(...)

literary

YEAR: 1999

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Caesar III

In Caesar III, users play as a Roman governor, sent by Caesar to rule new provinces across the world. To complete each scenario, and rise in rank, they must build cities that meet the required levels of Population, Culture, Peace, Prosperity and Favour. With each success, the player is given the choice of governing either a peaceful or militaristic Province, meaning they direct whether they want to focus on cultural marvels and luxuries, or battling Rome’s enemies.Starting with nothing but(...)

electronic

YEAR: 1998

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Elsie Finnimore Buckley, Frank C. Papé

Children of the Dawn: Old Tales of Greece

This is a detailed, extensive retelling of eleven key Greek myths with significant attention often given to character development, and details of the character’s education and early life. Scenery, landscape and geography are also described at length. The featured stories are:The Riddle of the SphinxEros and PsycheHero and LeanderThe Sacrifice of AlcestisThe Hunting of the Calydonian BoarThe Curse of EchoThe Sculptor and the ImageThe Divine MusicianThe Flight of ArethusaThe Winning of Atala(...)

literary

YEAR: 1908

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Nick Roberts, Stella Tarakson

Circe's Beastly Feast (Hopeless Heroes, 7)

This is book 7 in the "Hopeless Heroes" series. This is a series of portal-fantasy adventures in which a timid boy travels to the world of ancient myth by means of a magic vase, and learns to be brave through adventures with classical heroes. At the end of the previous book, Tim Baker went to ancient Greece perhaps for the final time (since his mother plans to sell the ancient vase) and to his horror, discovered that Hercules' family has no recollection of him at all. Furthermore, (...)

literary

YEAR: 2020

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Siouxsie and the Banshees

Cities in Dust

The song narrates the destruction of Pompeii in 79AD due to the eruption of Vesuvius. Pompeii is not mentioned by name, although the cover art for this single feature an image of the plaster cast of a dog, found in the House of Orpheus in Pompeii. The lyrics are direct and explicit in their treatment of the destruction and the human tragedy, through the choral lyric “your city lies in dust”, through references to hiding and choking, and in particular the final verse:Hot and burning i(...)

music

YEAR: 1985

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Beverley Cross, Desmond Davis, Ray Harryhausen, Charles H. Schneer

Clash of the Titans

The film loosely follows ancient versions of the myth of Perseus and Medusa. The film opens with king Acrisius of Argos throwing his daughter Danaë and her infant son Perseus into the sea in a casket. After the credits, the scene cuts to the gods on Olympus, where Zeus swears to punish Acrisius and has Poseidon release a monster, a titan called the Kraken to destroy Argos. It is revealed that Perseus is the child of Zeus.Danaë and Perseus drift safely to the island of Seriphos, where P(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Philip Reeve, Margaret Simpson

Cleopatra and Her Asp

In this book, Cleopatra’s biography takes an unusual form, a fictional diary of the Queen that uses elements of comic books. The playful form reflects its target audience of children and teenagers. It includes an introduction about the Ptolemaic dynasty and the situation in ancient Egypt at the beginning of Cleopatra's reign. All the events in the book are in chronological order - we learn what happens from the moment Cleopatra becomes Queen until her death. The author uses diar(...)

literary

YEAR: 1999

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Adèle Geras, Mark P. Robertson

Cleopatra: Discover the World of Cleopatra through the Diary of Her Handmaiden, Nefret

Cleopatra VII, one of the greatest queens in history, lived in Greco-Roman times in Egypt. When the Queen is described at the beginning of the book, the reader can recognise an almost direct quotation from Plutarch of Chaeronea*. The narrator is a ten-year-old girl named Nefret. She goes to the Queen's palace to work as her handmaiden. This allows the reader to learn about the customs and everyday life in Hellenistic Alexandria. Nefret meets Cleopatra when she is mourning Caesar (afte(...)

literary

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Clint Twist

Cleopatra: The Last Pharaoh

This book is a heavily illustrated biography of Cleopatra. The introduction shows Cleopatra as a popular icon through the ages. A chronological description of events opens with background information about Alexander the Great, the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt, and Cleopatra's death. The inclusion of a fictional diary enables the reader to imagine how Cleopatra felt. Numerous illustrations (paintings, engravings, sculptures etc.) enrich the reader's experience and provide additional (...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Gerry Bailey , Karen Foster

Cleopatra’s Coin

The book is part of the series Stories of Great People. The narration starts when Digby Platt and her sister Hannah Platt approach Mr. Rummage’s stand. They find an old coin in a pile of old items. Mr. Rummage asks the children if they know whose face is on the coin. The children don't know so Mr. Rummage begins to tell them the story of Cleopatra VII. He talks about the origins of the coin, where the queen's dynasty came from and how big her family was. In addition, the shopkeeper(...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Gerald Vinestock, G. William

Crib and the Labours of Hercules

Crib (short for Christabel) is a 10-year-old clever and tomboyish girl, who has gone with her parents to visit relatives in Greece. While she stays with her uncle and aunt and looks after their horses, she hears on the news that strange phenomena are occurring: all the fierce monsters whom the legendary Hercules had vanquished eons ago, have suddenly returned to life and are hurting the local people. The government is desperate for a new Hercules to save the day. Crib’s uncle, Jonathan, a (...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Errol le Cain, Walter Pater

Cupid and Psyche

This lavish illustrated book retells the myth of Cupid and Psyche, drawing on the version best known from Apuleius’s Golden Ass, and which  Pater retold in his novel, Marius the Epicurean. Beautiful Psyche is so stunning that the people neglect their worship of Aphrodite. She is removed, by her father, to a mysterious palace in the clouds, where she meets and falls in love with Cupid (Eros). At first he comes to her invisibly at night, but encouraged by her sisters, who come(...)

literary

YEAR: 1977

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Gilly Cameron Cooper

Cyclops

An educational comic that retells elements from the Odyssey, focusing on the Cyclops. It begins with informational pages about The Greeks, the Gods and Myths (pp. 4–5), then provides maps for Setting the Scene (pp. 6–7), before retelling the myth in 7 short chapters: A Long Way from Home, A Promising Land, The Cyclops Comes Home, Outwitting the Cyclops, Blind Man’s Bluff, Partin Shot, Poseidon’s Revenge. A Glossary and Index complet(...)

literary

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Marcia Dorothy Williams

Daedalus and Icarus & Orpheus and Eurydice

This short book contains two stories previously published in a longer collection by the same author. Like other books in the same series, the main body of the book is taken up with one story, while around a third of the book comprises a shorter retelling. The first story, Daedalus and Icarus, is told in a series of short chapters. Daedalus is presented as a craftsman renowned for his skills who boasts about his achievements. When his nephew, Talos, turns out to be a craftsman whose skills e(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Margaret Mahy

Dangerous Spaces

In Dangerous Spaces, set on the Banks Peninsula near Christchurch, New Zealand, Margaret Mahy explores the myth of Demeter and Persephone through a story about two cousins, Flora and Anthea, who travel by means of a magical stereoscope machine to a mythical realm, called Viridian. Anthea’s parents have died in a sailing accident, and she has come to live with Flora’s family, in the old house her parents are slowly renovating. This house was built by the cousins’ grandfathe(...)

literary

YEAR: 1986

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Adèle Geras

Dido

Drawing on the narrative of the first four books of Virgil’s Aeneid, Dido expands and extends the tragic story of the Queen of Carthage, who falls in love with Aeneas and kills herself after he sails away. It is told through the eyes of multiple characters – the young handmaiden Elissa, who becomes nursemaid to Aeneas’ son Ascanius, Cubby, a strong, somewhat simple servant, Iopas the bard, and Anna, Dido’s younger sister. With the exception of Anna, these characters are i(...)

literary

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Russell T. Davies, Brian Minchin, James Moran, Colin Teague

Doctor Who (Series, S04E02): The Fires of Pompeii

‘The Fires of Pompeii’ was typical of the revived, 21st-century series of Doctor Who (1963–1989; 2005–present) with its abandonment of educational themes for ‘pure’ science-fiction, and pseudo-historical storytelling. Filmed using the same sets as the 2005–2007 HBO/BBC Two series Rome, the episode attempted to present the same level of historical accuracy of costuming and set-design, while taking liberties with scripting. Aspects of Roman relig(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Lindsey Alford , Toby Haynes, Steven Moffat

Doctor Who (Series, S05E12–13): The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang

‘The Pandorica Opens’ and ‘The Big Bang’ contain numerous mash-ups of Classical myth and history. The two-part story opens with the Doctor (in his Eleventh incarnation, played by Matt Smith) and his companion, Amy Pond, arriving in Roman Britain in AD 102, where they find the Doctor’s past and future wife, River Song, impersonating the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra VII. The ‘Pandorica’ of the title is a direct reference to Pandora’s Box: an advanced pr(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


​Bob Baker, ​Dave Martin , ​Anthony Read , Norman Stewart

Doctor Who (Series, Season 15): Underworld

‘Underworld’ was typical of mid-1970s Doctor Who (1963–1989; 2005–present), in what is still regarded as its most successful period. Scripts in the era of the Fourth Doctor (played by Tom Baker) – with his enormous, multi-coloured scarf, and the ability to switch between high comedy and serious drama – delved regularly into mythological, historical, and literary themes that were already well-known to the family audiences. These were often transposed from their(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1978

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Christopher Barry, Dennis Spooner

Doctor Who (Series, Season 2): The Romans (The Slave Traders / All Roads Lead to Rome / Conspiracy / Inferno)

‘The Romans’ is a key example of the early format of Doctor Who (1963-1989; 2005-present), which sought to mix science-fiction adventures with historically-themed storylines (as an extension of its intended educational role). A playful comedy, the story sees the crew of the TARDIS (the time/space machine) materialise in the countryside outside Ancient Rome, and take a well-earned holiday at an abandoned Roman villa. Their rest is soon disturbed, however, when Barbara Wright and (...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1965

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Donald Cotton, Michael Leeston-Smith, Donald Tosh

Doctor Who (Series, Season 3): The Myth Makers

‘The Myth Makers’ continued the early tendency of Doctor Who (1963-1989; 2005-present) to mix science-fiction adventures with historically-themed storylines (as an extension of its intended educational role). The story sees the crew of the TARDIS (the time/space machine) materialise in Bronze-Age Asia Minor, just outside the walls of Troy (at the very moment when Achilles slays the Trojan champion Hector; indeed causing the death of the Trojan prince). The Doctor (an alien &lsqu(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1965

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Gerry Davis, ​Geoffrey Orme, Julia Smith

Doctor Who (Series, Season 4): The Underwater Menace

‘The Underwater Menace’ was typical of mid-1960s Doctor Who (1963–1989; 2005–present) and its turn away from the strictly historical, and educational, storylines of the early ‘60s, towards purely science-fiction and adventure stories. The story sees the crew of the TARDIS (the time/space machine) materialise on an island inhabited by the survivors of the lost city of Atlantis. The Doctor (an alien ‘Time Lord’ from the Planet Gallifrey) and his companions(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1967

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Paul Bernard, Terrance Dicks, Barry Letts, Robert Sloman

Doctor Who (Series, Season 9): The Time Monster

‘The Time Monster’ was typical of early-1970s Doctor Who (1963-1989; 2005-present) and its focus on a large regular supporting cast (the United Nations Intelligence Task Force – UNIT), Earth-bound alien invasions, and espionage themes. The story sees the Doctor (an alien ‘Time Lord’ from the Planet Gallifrey, in exile on ‘present-day’ Earth) and his companions (Jo Grant and the officers and men of UNIT) investigating strange time-travel experiments (...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1972

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Douglas Adams, ​Bob Baker, Nick Hurran , Peter Ling, David Maloney, ​Dave Martin , Kenny McBain, Steven Moffat, ​Anthony Read , Derrick Sherwin, Norman Stewart , ​Toby Whithouse

Doctor Who's Labyrinth Themed Episodes (Series, Seasons 6,15,17): The Mind Robber / Underworld / The Horns of Nimon / The God Complex

The myth of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur has been a fixture of the children’s TV sci-fi/drama series Doctor Who since the 1960s. The familiarity of school-aged children with this myth was doubly-ensured by the persistent emphasis on the Classics in British education (particularly in the middle-class context) well into the last decades of the 20th century. As well as featuring in ‘The Time Monster’ (1972) – starring Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor – the theme (...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1968

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Ingri and Edggar, Per Ola and Nils M. P. D’Aulaires

D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths

This is a revised edition of a 1962 book. The writing and illustrations appear to be the same as in the original. The book covers mainly the genealogy and myths related to the Olympian gods, adapted for children (Gaia “falls in love with Uranus”, Zeus “marries” mortals etc.). It is a very detailed book that covers a large and varied range of stories, relating to the gods and mortals. It gives a description of the different traits of the gods as well as individual myths ab(...)

literary

YEAR: 1962

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Victor Ambrus, Rosemary Sutcliff

Eagle’s Egg

The story begins with Quintus recounting to his grandchildren how as young man he was posted to Eburacum (York) as the standard-bearer for the Ninth Legion. There, at a well next to the Temple of Sulis, Quintus had encountered Cordaella, who had come from Lindum (Lincoln) with her brother Vedrix after he had been hired to lay a new mosaic floor in the town council chamber. As time passed, Quintus and Cordaella had fallen in love, but because Quintus was below the rank of centurion they could not(...)

literary

YEAR: 1981

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Efua Theodora Sutherland

Edufa

In her three-act play, Efua Sutherland, depicts the life of a traditional and influential Ghanaian man, Edufa, whose pride and stubbornness results in the death of his wife, Ampoma. Set in a little Ghanaian community, the story begins with a prologue that introduces characters and the dramatic events that will ensue. In the prologue, Edufa’s sister, Abena, patiently sits in the courtyard, gathering dew in a black pot. As the prologue reveals, the dew she collects, along the water that she (...)

african

YEAR: 1967

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Sarah Young

Endless Odyssey: A Mythic Storytelling Game

Endless Odyssey comprises a set of 20 storytelling cards, each depicting a character or object from the world of ancient Greek myth each depicted in a landscape including mountains and with the sea often visible in the distance. Whichever order the cards are placed in, they create what the accompanying “Guide to the Games” calls a “seamless scene” which stretches to over five feet if all the cards are used. The cards, following the order listed in the accompanying sh(...)

electronic

YEAR: 2019

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Christina Balit

Escape from Pompeii

The story follows young Tranio and Livia, and their happy life in Pompeii. However, one August day the land quakes and Vesuvius erupts. The children initially do not grasp the full danger of the situation, but soon they realize it and witness the damage. They run to the harbour and hide on a Greek cargo ship. When they wake up the ship is already sailing away from the city. The children are saved. The text is accompanied by colourful and large illustrations. On the last page there is a brie(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shoo Rayner

Euclid: the Man Who Invented Geometry

Euclid: The Man Who Invented Geometry is an illustrated chapter book that explains the life of the Greek mathematician Euclid, who lived around 300 BC. The focus is on his discoveries in geometry. In ten chapters he is shown explaining his concepts and system to a group of friends. He talks them through his definitions and method, step by step, from “point” to “polygon.” The chapters advance from point and axiom (ch. 1) to angle and parallel (ch. 2). Then kinds of angle a(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Ian Jenkins, Kate Morton

Explore the Parthenon: An Ancient Greek Temple and Its Sculptures

This book provides a thorough overview of the sculptures of the Parthenon along with contextual details including on ancient Athenian politics, mythology, deities and festivals. The book is divided into clear sections, each of which starts with a brief introduction in bold type, followed by an overview of the topic under discussion. Ian Jenkins’s text is complemented with photos of the sculptures and illustrations by Kate Morton. Morton’s illustrations support and clarify to some of (...)

literary

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


J. K. Rowling

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The author plays with the tradition of bestiaries in this book and introduces the audience to "Wizard–Magical Creatures Studies." Her name does not appear on the book's cover, and the work is credited to "Newt Scamander" who, in the Harry Potter universe, wrote this textbook – we see it on Harry’s supply list for his first year. It contains the history of Magizoology and describes 85 magical species from all around the world. In the edition from 20(...)

literary

YEAR: 2001

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


J. K. Rowling, David Yates

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Although the movie has the same title as the book [see the entry] written in 2001, it is a completely separate “prequel” story about the fictional author of the said text, Newt Scamander. The story starts in 1926, when the not-yet-famous magizoologist comes to New York with a mysterious suitcase which, as we learn later, contains various magical creatures. The main purpose is to release one of them to its natural habitat in Arizona, however along the way things get complicated. (...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom United States of America


Rosemary Sutcliff

Frontier Wolf

Frontier Wolf is the third book in a series of novels that recount the adventures of various generations of the Aquilii family down to the Norman period. In each case, one of the protagonists owns a Dolphin Ring, which has been passed on through the family. The publishers, Oxford University Press, state that the primary audience for the Dolphin Ring saga is an age-range of 11–16*.At the opening of Frontier Wolf, set in the early 340s, the twenty-three-year-old centurion Alexios Flavius Aqu(...)

literary

YEAR: 1980

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kate McMullan , Denis Zilber

Get Lost, Odysseus! (Myth-O-Mania, 10)

This is the tenth book in the Myth-O-Mania series. In this series, Hades is the narrator who promises to tell the whole truth about the Greek myth; he claims that his brother Zeus, is a myth-o-maniac (that is, a liar) and that he fabricated the myths and wrote his version so that he and his children will appear noble and praiseworthy. In this book, Hades narrates Odysseus’ voyage. Hades claims that Zeus wrote down that it was he who helped Odysseus get home after the Trojan War. Hades(...)

literary

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kate McMullan , Denis Zilber

Get to Work, Hercules! (Myth-O-Mania, 7)

This is the seventh book in the Myth-O-Mania series, which offer alternative versions of the Greek myths, narrated by Hades. Hades, who is a self-professed shy and serious god, promises to tell the whole truth about the Greek myth; he claims that his brother Zeus, is a myth-o-maniac (that is, a liar) and that he fabricated the myths and wrote his version so that he and his children will appear noble and praiseworthy. Hades’ versions offer the “true” story of the myths.In this b(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom United States of America


Kate McMullan , Denis Zilber

Go for the Gold, Atalanta! (Myth-O-Mania, 8)

This is the eights book in the Myth-O-Mania series, which offer alternative versions of the Greek myths, narrated by Hades. Hades, who is a self-professed shy and serious god, promises to tell the whole truth about the Greek myth; he claims that his brother Zeus, is a myth-o-maniac (that is, a liar) and that he fabricated the myths and wrote his version so that he and his children will appear noble and praiseworthy. Hades’ versions offer the “true” story of the myths.In this bo(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom United States of America


Stella Caldwell

Gods, Heroes and Monsters: Discover the Wonders of the Ancient Greek Myths

This book explains the core Greek myths. Its cover features a sepia-toned image of the Minotaur and Theseus. It has a frame narrative, in which "Selene Nicolaides," the daughter of a museum director, explains that she found a mysterious box belonging to her father, one which held objects of value from the Ancient Greeks, objects that had been smuggled out of Ancient Greece. Knowing they must be returned, she arranged for them to be sent to the Athens Museum; they appear in the pages of(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Giovanni Caselli, Michael Gibson

Gods, Men and Monsters from the Greek Myths

This is a collection of a select number of Greek myths retold for older children, with accompanying line drawings and bright colour illustrations of varied sizes depicting key scenes. The stories focus on detailed characterisation, particularly in the hero myths, and often bring up lesser known versions. The book opens with labelled line drawings of the major gods and a map of Greece. A section at the back explains the line drawing symbols that appear at the start of each chapter, e.g. a fennel (...)

literary

YEAR: 1977

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Chris Riddell

Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse

Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse is the first in a series of Goth Girl books by Chris Riddell which uses intertextual play with Gothic writers and literary conventions as well as other literary characters and mythology.Ada Goth is the only child of Lord Goth. The two live together in Ghastly-Gorm Hall. Ada is a lonely child, her father believing that children should be heard and not seen, therefore making her wear a pair of heavy boots so he can always hear her coming. A series of unsuccessful(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Charles Front , James Mason

Greek Heroes and Monsters

The book starts off with an introduction to ‘the Greeks’ which explains why people now visit Greece, namely because they are drawn to its holiday places. This leads into a discussion of a key aspect of life in ancient Greece: storytelling. Among the illustrations in this section is an ancient Greek vase-painting showing a storyteller saying words that translate as "once upon a time…" (p. 3). These words become the opening of the first of two stories narrated in the b(...)

literary

YEAR: 1991

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Ann Turnbull, Sarah Young

Greek Myths

This is a collection of a select number of Greek myths retold for children, with accompanying illustrations and artwork that visually dominates the page, often changing the colour of the page to match the art. The illustrations are lavish, to the point this is almost a presentation book. The stories primarily focus on myths about nature and nature spirits. In contrast to the twenty-first century trend towards more anachronistic and humorous retellings, these retellings stick closely to ancient s(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Heather Amery, Linda Edwards

Greek Myths for Young Children

This is a highly illustrated volume of myths retold for children. Contents:About the Greek MythsThe Gift of FirePandora's BoxPersephone and the SeasonsThe Story of ArachneThe Many Tasks of Heracles (Intro, plus 12 Labours)Echo and NarcissusDaedalus and IcarusBellerophon and the Flying HorseJason and the Golden Fleece (Intro, Argo Sets Sail, The Harpies, The Clashing Rocks, Fire-Breathing Bulls and Dragon's Teeth, The Golden Fleece).King MidasThe Adventures of Perseus (Intro, Medusa,(...)

literary

YEAR: 2000

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Carole Hénaff, Hugh Lupton, Daniel Morden

Greek Myths: Three Heroic Tales

Greek Myths: Three Heroic Tales is a highly illustrated retelling of the myths of Demeter and Persephone, Theseus and the Minotaur, and Orpheus and Eurydice. There is at least one illustration on almost every facing pair of pages with the illustrations setting the events in antiquity. Each myth is divided into chapters in the manner of a novel.Demeter and Persephone begins by prompting the reader to imagine a tri-part world, Olympus above, the world of mortals, and the realm of the dead below. P(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Nick Roberts, Stella Tarakson

Hades' Pet Hellhound (Hopeless Heroes, 9)

This is book 9 in the "Hopeless Heroes" series. This is a series of portal-fantasy adventures in which a timid boy travels to the world of ancient myth by means of a magic vase, and learns to be brave through adventures with classical heroes. At the end of the previous book, Tim Baker was caught in a fight over the magical vase with his class bully, Leo. The two were then transported to ancient Greece. While each tried to control the vase (Leo wanting to proceed, Tim wishing to return (...)

literary

YEAR: 2019

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Alison Murray

Hare and Tortoise. The Favourite Aesop's Fable

This is a retelling of the traditional myth of the Hare and the Tortoise, accompanied by lavish, charming, full-page illustrations. When the characters are introduced, the narrative pauses for two pages of semi-humorous pseudo-scientific / betting form style profiles of Hare then Tortoise. This includes one page of labelled diagram (e.g. Head – perhaps a little bit big... Whiskers – extra twitchy), and one page listing key attributes (e.g. Hare can't stay still, but can run throu(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, 2)

The Chamber of Secrets is the second novel of the Harry Potter series. As in the first one, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the story begins on Harry’s birthday. Staying for the summer with his uncle and aunt – the Dursleys – the now twelve year old boy dreams of going back to Hogwarts School of Magic and Wizardry. His plans might change due to an unexpected visit. One evening Harry finds a strange creature in his room – a house-elf named Dobby. Tradi(...)

literary

YEAR: 1998

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, 7)

The seventh and final book in the “Harry Potter” series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, completes the story of the protagonist's struggle with his lifelong enemy, Lord Voldemort. Harry, Ron and Hermione set off on a journey to find the remaining horcruxes (special objects containing parts of Voldemort's soul and ensuring his immortality). The three friends must constantly hide, pursued by the Dark Lord's followers. The headmaster of Hogwarts is now Snape, a suppose(...)

literary

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, 4)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth book in the series by J. K. Rowling about a young wizard, learning magic at Hogwarts and, in almost every book, battling the antagonist of the series, Lord Voldemort. In the previous part of the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry learns about the prophecy concerning Voldemort, until now considered dead or missing. According to the prediction: "The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more ter(...)

literary

YEAR: 2000

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter, 6)

The sixth part of the Harry Potter adventures is centered on the relationship between the title character and his mentor, Albus Dumbledore. Together they try to solve the mystery of the indestructibility of Voldemort, the main antagonist of the series, who has returned and once again threatens the magical community. In the magical world in general and at Hogwarts in particular, we can sense an atmosphere of unease – the Dark Lord is once again recruiting Death Eaters and it is not clear wh(...)

literary

YEAR: 2005

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter, 5)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the continuation of the adventures of the young wizard, Harry Potter (now 15) and his friends attending the Hogwarts school for witches and wizards. In this part, Harry has to deal with false accusations. The authorities of the magical world and the magical community refuse to believe in the return of Voldemort, even though Harry has witnessed it. The Dark Lord once again tries to take control of the wizarding world, and the only (secret) organis(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Harry Potter, 1)

Harry Potter, the main character of the series, is an orphan living with his uncle and aunt, who treat him like, to put it delicately, a spare wheel. One day, on his 11th birthday, he gets an extraordinary letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (delivered by Hagrid, half-giant, later, one of his best friends), with an invitation to start his year as a student wizard. He also learns (mainly from Hagrid) about his past and his greatest enemy – Lord Voldemort, dark and evil wi(...)

literary

YEAR: 1997

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, 3)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third book in J.K. Rowling’s series. As every summer, Harry Potter stays with his cousins, the Dursleys, struggling with life in the Muggle world. When the summer is almost over, and he is about to come back to Hogwarts (the school where he learns magic), Aunt Marge, an embittered sister of Vernon Dursley (Harry’s uncle and guardian) comes to visit. She pushes the young wizard’s boundaries to the point when Harry lets go and uses (...)

literary

YEAR: 1999

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Tony Ross , Francesca Simon

Helping Hercules

Helping Hercules tells the story of a young girl named Susan who does not want to help or do chores at home. She finds a magic coin that takes her back to Ancient Greece where she becomes entangled in scenarios from Greek mythology – she has to help Hercules clean out Augean stables, help Orpheus get Eurydice back from Hades, help Paris choose between the goddesses, help Bellerophon capture Pegasus to find the chimera, fight Medusa, deal with Midas, and help Hercules get the apples from th(...)

literary

YEAR: 1999

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Nick Roberts, Stella Tarakson

Hera’s Terrible Trap! (Hopeless Heroes, 2)

This is book 2 in the Hopeless Heroes series. This is series of portal-fantasy adventures in which a timid boy travels to the world of ancient myth by means of a magic vase, and learns to be brave through adventures with classical heroes. In the first book of the series, Tim Baker, our hero, discovered the mythological Hercules was trapped in an old vase Tim had at home. He also discovered that it was Hera, who locked Hercules there since she was jealous of his beautiful mother. In this book, Ti(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Geraldine McCaughrean

Hercules

The book narrates the life of Hercules, from his early youth to his tragic death and following deification (or rather becoming a constellation). Due to the subject matter and the mentions of murder and tragic deaths the book is more suitable for older children. (...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Steve Barlow, Steve Skidmore, Andrew Tunney

Hercules (EDGE: I HERO: Legends, 3)

In this choose-your-own-path book, the reader is Hercules. Hercules joins the voyage of the Argo and needs to help Jason to make decision and later find his lost friend, Hylas, while facing various adventures and overcoming obstacles.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Tony Bradman , Steve May

Hercules the Hero

In five illustrated chapters, Bradman tells the story of Hercules the Hero. In Chapter One, Trouble with a goddess, we learn of Hercules’ unusual powers and Hera’s enmity towards him. In Chapter Two, Some interesting little jobs, Hercules tackles the Nemean Lion and the Hydra. In Chapter Three, A few busy weeks, Hercules captures the Deer with the Golden Horns and the Brutal Board and cleanses the Augean stables. He shoots down the Bronze Birds of Stymphalos, wrestles with the Great (...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Bob Dewar, Matthew Fitt

Hercules: Bampots and Heroes

Hercules: Bambots and Heroes is a comedic account of the twelve labours of Hercules by Matthew Fitt written in Scots, one of the two indigenous languages to Scotland recognised by the UN. While Scottish Gaelic developed in the highlands, Scots originated in the lowlands of Scotland. Although Scots is still commonly used throughout the lowlands it is often blended with English by native speakers. The book itself is a product of Itchy Coo, an imprint of Black & White publishing founded in 2002(...)

literary

YEAR: 2005

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Linda Cavallini, Alex Frith

Hercules: The World's Strongest Man

This book is a retelling of the story of Hercules aimed to encourage reading; the story was developed at the University of Roehampton with the consultation of Alison Kelly, Senior Lecturer. The story follows Hercules after he has killed his family and is performing his 12 labours until the gods forgive him. At the end, the story of how Hera tried to kill Hercules as an infant and how he joined the Argonauts is briefly summarized.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


The Hercules Project , Emma Stafford

Hercules’ Twelve Labours Today

This webpage concerns a family-friendly exhibition, organised by the University of Leeds-based Hercules Project as part of the University’s 2019 public engagement "Be Curious" festival. The exhibition presented representations of the Labours of Hercules in ancient and postclassical art, culminating in recent appropriations of the hero as a coloniser and a world leader. After looking at how others have depicted Hercules, visitors were invited to become creators of their own recept(...)

ephemeral

YEAR: 2019

COUNTRY: Ireland United Kingdom


Nick Roberts, Stella Tarakson

Here Comes Hercules! (Hopeless Heroes, 1)

This is book 1 in the Hopeless Heroes series. This is series of portal-fantasy adventures in which a timid boy travels to the world of ancient myth by means of a magic vase, and learns to be brave through adventures with classical heroes. In this book we meet our protagonist, Tim Baker. We are initially informed that Tim’s mother works long hours to provide for her family, so he needs to help with the housework. While cleaning, Tim accidentally breaks a large Greek vase, decorated with a s(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


James Reeves, Sara Silcock

Heroes and Monsters: Legends of Ancient Greece

This is an anthology book for children which presents the key figures and stories from classical mythology. The chapters are lightly illustrated, with one or two line drawings per chapter. Introduction.Pronunciation Guide (and map of Ancient Greece).The Beginning of Man: Prometheus and Pandora. Winter and Summer: Demeter and Persephone. Daedalus and Icarus.Phaeton’s Journey.King Midas (divided into ‘The Golden Touch’ and ‘A Pair of Ass’s Ears&rsq(...)

literary

YEAR: 1969

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Tom Kindley

Heroes of the Night Sky. The Greek Myths Behind the Constellations

This is a collection of myths told for teenagers, with emphasis on stylised illustration, constellation name aetiologies, and some moral lessons. The myths included are:Ursa Major (The Great Bear)PegasusAndromedaHerculesLyre (The Lyre)Corona Borealis (Northern Crown)Orion and ScorpiusCorvus (The Crow)Centaurus (The Centaur)Ophiucus (The Serpent Bearer)(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Julia Bereciartu, Vita Murrow

High-Five to the Hero

High-Five to the Hero was written after the success of Murrow’s first published collection of subverted fairy tales, Power to the Princess, in which she addresses gendered stereotypes of femininity for young girls. Likewise, this book is collection of retold myths, fairy tales and folklore that subvert traditional representations of gender and sex, but here she disrupts traditional representations of masculinity. Murrow writes well known male literary characters, traditional champions of c(...)

literary

YEAR: 2019

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kate McMullan , Denis Zilber

Hit the Road, Helen! (Myth-O-Mania, 9)

This is the ninth book in the Myth-O-Mania series. In this series, Hades is the narrator who promises to tell the whole truth about the Greek myth; he claims that his brother, Zeus, is a myth-o-maniac (that is, a liar) and that he fabricated the myths and wrote his version so that he and his children will appear noble and praiseworthy. In this book, Hades tells the story of Helen of Troy. Hades claims that in his version, Zeus put the blame for the Trojan War on Helen. Yet Hades claims, tha(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Dominic Brigstocke, Steve Connelly, William Terence Deary, Chloë Thomas

Horrible Histories (Series)

A sketch show based on the books of the same name by Terry Deary, focussing on many aspects of history not just the Classical areas. Each episode includes parodic songs teaching children about aspects of history, with both live-action and animated sections often working in conjecture to form the full picture of the sketch. Each sketch is accompanied by the narrative character Rattus Rattus who is used as an accuracy marker for the jokes within the series. The show takes a non-linear format (...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Martin Brown , William Terence Deary

Horrible Histories. The Groovy Greeks

A humorous overview of the mythology and history of Ancient Greece. After an introduction to Greek "gruesome gods" and "petrifying plays and electrifying epics", Deary zooms in on the "savage Spartans" and the "odd Athenians". He then summarises the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars, before giving an entertaining account of the life and deeds of "Alexander the Great-er". The following chapters describe how Ancient Greeks thought, lived, and died, wi(...)

literary

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Robert Sutherland Rattray, Maalam Shaihu

How the Whip and the “Maara” Spoon (a Broken Bit of Calabash) Came to the Haunts of Men

A man had two wives: one of whom had children and the other who did not but stayed with an adopted child. The man despised the wife with whom he had children. Whenever there was hunger, he went to the bush and brought food for the childless wife. One day, he went to the bush, found twenty guinea-fowl eggs, and gave the largest to the wife with children. She boiled it and gave it to her children. Another day arrived, and the woman with children went to the bush and brought corn, which she stirred(...)

african

YEAR: 1913

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


The British Museum

How to Write a Myth

This webpage, which forms part of a series of activities for “Young Explorers” created by the British Museum, provides various facts and ideas to enable children to write, and then potentially perform, their own myth. Information is provided on particular features of myths along with suggestions of figures to research for ideas: from ancient Greece (Herakles) West Africa (Anansi) and Central America (Huracán). The webpage is illustrated with a depiction of Theseus killing the Minota(...)

ephemeral

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Anthony McGowan

I Am a Minotaur

I Am the Minotaur is a children's novel about Matthew (also known as Stinky Mog), his struggles with isolation and bullying at school, and his worries about his mother who is suffering from depression and addiction. Because of his mother's problems, Matthew is a young carer, trying to look after his mother and himself, and having difficulties with nutrition and hygiene. He becomes isolated at school when children pick on him for his appearance and smell. Referring to himself as the Minot(...)

literary

YEAR: 2021

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


David Lopez, Barrie Wade

Icarus, the Boy Who Flew

This simple illustrated text for beginning readers, with copious illustrations and short sentences, retells the myth of Icarus, showing Icarus living with his father, Daedalus, a "great inventor" (p. 5). After the king asks Daedalus to build a maze to hide a "terrible secret," (p. 7) he imprisons Daedalus and Icarus in a high tower. "They knew the king’s secret, so they could never leave." (p. 8). They collect the feathers left by the birds who come to pick up(...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Simona Bursi, Linda Cavallini, Susanna Davidson, Alex Frith , Anne Millard, Matteo Pincelli, Russell Punter, Lesley Sims , Louie Stowell

Illustrated Stories From the Greek Myths

Illustrated Stories From the Greek Myths is a highly illustrated collection of short stories for children or young teens.Contents:The Wooden Horse: Russell Punter (Author) and Matteo Pincelli (Illustrator),The Minotaur: Russell Punter (Author) and Linda Cavallini (Illustrator),Bellerophon and Pegasus: Susanna Davidson (Author) and Simona Bursi (Illustrator),The Twelve Tasks of Heracles: Alex Frith (Author) and Matteo Pincelli (Illustrator),Perseus and the Gorgon: Lesley Sims (Author) a(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Ian Andrews, Penelope Lively

In Search of a Homeland

This is a retelling of the post-homeric story of the Aeneid and of the origins of Rome.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2001

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Thereza Rowe

In the Woods

In the Woods is, as the back cover says, “a collection of tales about a group of friends who use creativity and kindness to help each other through life’s adventures.” However, from the narrative point of view, it is actually one tale divided into three chapters: Olly’s Wings, Lionel’s Mane, and Red’s Wedding. Even though the mythological content is to be found only in the first story (which is summarized here in greater detail), the summary covers all three p(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Blair Drawson, Sheldon Oberman

Island of the Minotaur. Greek Myths of Ancient Crete

This is an interesting take on the myth of the Minotaur which places it within a wide context by telling a selection of myths that build up to the Minotaur's demise. This creates a multi-generational story which arcs from the days of Cronos until Phaedra's departure from Crete as the last queen of Knossos. The myths of Medea and Ariadne are told in contrast to each other. The work begins and ends with historicising interpretations of the myths, relating the myths' connections to Mino(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: Canada United Kingdom


Klaxons

Isle of Her

The song is inspired by an episode in the novel Exploits and Opinions of Doctor Faustroll, Pataphysician by French absurdist and Symbolist Alfred Jarry, entitled "Concerning the Isle of Her, the Cyclops, and the Great Swan which is of Crystal", which is made clear in the lyrics, some of which are drawn directly from this passage.The song describes a journey to the "Isle of Her", with a choral refrain of "Row! There’s only seven more miles to go" being repeated(...)

music

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Adèle Geras

Ithaka

Just as her novel Troy imagines new stories playing out within the final days of the Trojan War, in this text Geras locates her tale on Ithaca during the long years of Odysseus’ absence.  The story centres on the teenager Klymene, granddaughter of the old nurse Eurycleia. Orphaned as a baby, she and her twin brother Ikarios have grown up in the royal palace alongside Telemachus. The trio have always been friends, but Klymene is beginning to have other feelings for the Prince. Tel(...)

literary

YEAR: 2005

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


David Antram, John Malam, David Salariya

Jason and the Argonauts

In this straight-forward retelling of the myth of the Argonauts, the story begins with the prophecy by the oracle who proclaims that Pelias, king of the city-state of Iolcus, should pay attention to his family, because they will deprive him of power. So Pelias decides to kill everyone, showing mercy only to his brother Aeson, whom he throws into the dungeon. When he arrives to kill Jason, his brother's son, he is tricked by Alcimede the boy's mother, into believing that the young man had(...)

literary

YEAR: 2004

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Nick Roberts, Stella Tarakson

Jason's Wild Winds (Hopeless Heroes, 6)

This is book 6 in the "Hopeless Heroes" series. This is a series of portal-fantasy adventures in which a timid boy travels to the world of ancient myth by means of a magic vase, and learns to be brave through adventures with classical heroes. At the end of the previous book, Tim Baker was prepared to sacrifice himself so that the evil Hera would not harm his friends. For this deed he was named a hero by Athena who helped him return to his home.In this story we find Tim puzzled over a s(...)

literary

YEAR: 2019

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Gary Northfield

Julius Zebra: Bundle with the Britons!

Julius Zebra: Bundle with the Britons! is the second of the Julius Zebra series of comic novels. Told through a combination of images and text, they feature the adventures of Julius, a kind-hearted but dim-witted zebra, who is taken from Africa to Rome, and becomes a gladiator. The story follows on from the action in Julius Zebra: Rumble with the Romans!. Having defeated the champion gladiators at a circus to celebrate Emperor Hadrian’s birthday, Julius is now famous throughout Rome and is(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Gary Northfield

Julius Zebra: Entangled with the Egyptians!

Julius Zebra: Entangled with the Egyptians! is the third in the series of the Julius Zebra comic novels.  It follows on from Julius Zebra: Bundle with the Britons!. Julius Zebra and his animal friends have travelled across Europe, freeing enslaved animals from the amphitheatres of the Roman Empire, and pursuing their old trainer, Septimus, across the Mediterranean, when suddenly they are blown off-course by a huge storm, and are tossed up on an Egyptian beach. Celebrating their return (...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Gary Northfield

Julius Zebra: Rumble with the Romans!

Julius Zebra: Rumble with the Romans! is the first of the Julius Zebra series of comic novels. Told through a combination of images and text, they feature the adventures of Julius, a kind-hearted but dim-witted zebra, who is captured by the Romans at his home near the “stinky lake” in north-east Africa, and along with a group of other wild animals, is taken to Rome to feature in the Circus. Some of these animals become his friends and appear in later adventures: they include a c(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Sarah McIntyre, Philip Reeve

Kevin’s Great Escape

This is the second in the “Roly Poly Flying Pony” adventures, featuring Kevin, a chubby winged pony who nests in a tree in the wilds of Dartmoor, in Devon, England.  Kevin becomes friends with a boy named Max, in The Legend of Kevin, and helps save the town of Bumbleford from flooding following a storm.  In this volume, famous pop star, Misty Twiglet, moves into Gloomsbury Grange, a mansion near Bumbleford. Her wicked agent, Baz Gumption, tricks Max’s sister, Daisy (w(...)

literary

YEAR: 2019

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Eric A. Kimmel , Pep Montserrat

King Midas & Other Greek Myths

This book provides retelling of various myths, adapted for young readers. The myths are: Prometheus and Epimetheus’ gifts to the animals, Prometheus’ stealing of fire, Pandora’s box, Persephone and her abduction by Hades, Echo and Narcissus, Arachne’s contest with Athena, Pygmalion and Galatea, King Midas and the golden touch, Orpheus and Eurydice including Orpheus’ murder by a tribe of wild maidens, Jason and the golden fleece including how Medea helped him an dhow(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Alex Frith , ​Simona Sanfilippo

King Midas and the Gold

King Midas and the Gold is a children's storybook written with deliberately simple language for those learning to read. It is part of a series that contains many examples of traditional myths and simplified versions of classical literature.The Midas myth is told in an extremely simplified form as the paramount focus is telling a story with very basic vocabulary. There is more emphasis on Midas' kindness than his foolishness or greed. The text states 'he was kind', accompanying a (...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Julia Jarman, Claudia Venturini

King Midas’s Golden Touch

This charming children's picture book introduces the young reader to King Midas, who we are told is rich, kind, and somewhat foolish. The King and his daughter, Zoe live in a palace surrounded by a lush and famous rose garden. During one of their daily walks in the garden, they come across Silenus the satyr, hungover and sleeping among the rose bushes. Zoe and King Midas help Silenus who is a friend of the god, Dionysus. Suddenly, Dionysus descends from the sky, luxuriating in a fluffy, shim(...)

literary

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Alice Werner

Kwege and Bahati

A long time ago, a man got married to Mulamuwingu of the Uwingu* clan. Mulamuwingu’s new home was a two-day journey away from her brother’s (Muwingu) home. The man and Mulamuwingu had a son and named him Kwege. When the man dies, Mulamuwingu inherits a slave called Bahati. The society she lives in is riddled with taboos. One taboo is that Mulamuwingu should never allow rainwater to touch her because she is an off-spring of the sky God. If it does touch her, she will die immedia(...)

african

YEAR: 1933

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


The LEGO Company

Lego Minifigures (Series)

LEGO’s permeation into popular culture is evident through its release of thematic sets to coincide with the release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in 1999, and through its collaboration with Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and The Simpsons. As of 2010, LEGO began to release themed collectible minifigures that were based on fantasy, sports, history, and popular culture. A minifigure is defined as a small posable person with ‘rotating arms, legs, hands, and heads… (with) connectors (...)

material

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United Kingdom United States of America


Katie Daynes, Marie-Eve Tremblay

Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers about Art

This beautifully-illustrated book immerses young people in the world of art. It belongs to an extensive series which introduces children to a variety of subjects. Young people are introduced to art via a question and answer format focused on the sorts of questions that people might have about art and the sorts of questions that can be asked to explore art beyond the surface – in that sense the book is about helping young people to engage with art rather than simply presenting them with art(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Katie Daynes, Peter Donnelly

Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers about Long Ago

This beautifully-illustrated book offers young readers an interactive immersion in history. The histories of many periods and peoples are covered, with the book divided into sections based on the sorts of questions that people might ask about the past: Where? Who? Why? What? How? When? and Which? There is an illustrated “What happened when?” timeline at the end of the book which places items from throughout the book in chronological order. The ancient world plays an important ro(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Alice Werner

Liongo Fumo

The myth of Liongo Fumo* is about a Swahili poet, warrior, and hero who braved diverse barriers till his death. He was a tall and brave man whose younger brother, Shah Daudi Mringwari, the Sultan of Pate, hated him. Their polygamous father, Shaka Mashah, favoured the latter because the former’s mother was more miserable. However, Liongo’s extraordinary stature, fighting and poetic skills gained the attention of many. His brother’s jealousy leads him to plot to get rid of (...)

african

YEAR: 1933

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Colin Thompson

Looking for Atlantis

Looking for Atlantis is a picturebook featuring a boy and his grandfather. As he is dying, Grandfather tells his grandson that he must look for Atlantis, a reference to the famous lost city of antiquity. Rather than being a story or a faraway place, Atlantis is all around you, or so Grandfather says. When Grandfather dies, the boy searches through his wooden chest and finds a door to Atlantis, pictured here as a surreal, magical seascape. The boy then tries to see the world with his grandfather&(...)

literary

YEAR: 1993

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Iain Ashman

Make this Roman Amphitheatre

This is a cut out, stiff card model of a Roman Amphitheatre that one can create using only glue and scissors. The model includes cut-out figures of gladiators, crowed and ships.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Ollie Cuthbertson, Gary Smailes

Marathon (EDGE: Battle Books, 4)

This is a choose-your-own-adventure story in which the basic premise is established and the reader then makes choices that determine the development and out-come of the story. In Marathon the reader plays as Miltiades the general. Based on the choices made, the reader will then receive a ranking on their performance as general, poor, ok, good, or great, and the outcome of the battle will be either death, partial victory, or complete victory. The reader will be prompted to consider many aspects o(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Charles Keeping, Rosemary Sutcliff

Mark of the Horse Lord

Former gladiator Phaedrus is bailed out of Corstopitum’s (Corbridge) jail by the merchant Sinnoch, who introduces Phaedrus to the northern tribesmen Gault the Strong and Midir. Midir had once been a prince of the Dalriadain, but was secretly blinded and banished by his father’s half-sister Liadhan who now rules as queen of the tribe. However, Gault, Sinnoch and various co-conspirators wish to remove Liadhan, and given that the Dalriadain believe Midir died as a child and Phaedrus bea(...)

literary

YEAR: 1965

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Athina Bali

Match and Learn the Greek Gods

This book contains colourful stickers and illustrations. Each page shows a description of a Greek god for whom the child needs to find the corresponding sticker. Furthermore, there are several stories in the book containing moral lessons on teamwork, winning and losing, respecting nature etc.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Alex Woolf

Meet The Ancient Romans

This book is a combination of a guidebook of ancient Rome and a time traveling adventure book. It combines information about ancient Roman institutions (the senate, arena, baths, temples, shops and draftsmen) with everyday life, such as food, clothing etc. The reader participates in the Roman daily life and also receives additional information on the origin of certain institutions or positions in the Empire. The plot take “you” a school boy/girl through a mysterious wooden door to th(...)

literary

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Margaret Mahy

Memory

In Memory, nineteen-year-old Jonny Dart is a dancer suffering from the post-traumatic stress disorder. Some years before, his sister Janine, also a dancer, had fallen from a cliff while playing a game with Jonny and their friend, Bonny Benedicta, in which Jonny was the "wolfman," and Bonny the "pythoness," or the "oracle." Jonny, who resented his family’s favouritism towards his sister, is haunted by the thought that he might have pushed Janine and develops a (...)

literary

YEAR: 1987

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Roy Knipe, Geoffrey Trease

Mission to Marathon

Mission to Marathon immerses the young reader in the tense events of the Battle of Marathon campaign in 490BCE. The story follows a fictional protagonist, Philip, the young son of an Athenian sculptor. When Philip's father hears in the Assembly that the Persians have reached Euboea he anticipates that they will land at Marathon to make their invasion. Philip is tasked with hurrying to the village of Marathon to warn their extended family and urge them to seek safety. Philip's elder broth(...)

literary

YEAR: 1997

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Yaël Farber

Molora

Klytemnestra appears before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and admits murdering her husband. She considers the murder as an act of bravery, and her husband’s destiny. Her daughter, Elektra, then takes the floor and expresses her displeasure and indignation at her mother’s deeds. Both mother and daughter are now committed to the process of unearthing the past. They take us to a period when Elektra was seven years old. The murder is re-enacted. Because of the brutal kill(...)

african

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shoo Rayner

Monster Boy. Minotaur Maze (Monster Boy, 8)

Monster Boy: Minotaur Maze is the 8th in a series of chapter books for early readers, in which the protagonist, Connor, is the Ministry of Monster’s number one secret agent, helping keep peace in the forest where they all live. Connor’s mother is a gargoyle, and his father is a human. In Minotaur Maze, while Connor’s parents talk with farmer Maisie whose produce shop lacks customers, Connor is called to his latest Monster Mission when Mino the Minotaur goes missing in the Tangl(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Philip Reeve

Mortal Engines

SETTINGThree thousand years after Sixty Minute War, a short yet disastrous conflict that caused mass extinction of humans and major geological shifts, a part of the surviving civilization lives in the so-called traction cities, following the laws of Municipal Darwinism. These monstrous tank-like cities roam the arid lands of Europe, called the Great Hunting Ground, ravishing soil by gathering whatever they deem necessary not only for survival, but also for prosperity. There is a saying – &(...)

literary

YEAR: 2001

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Saviour Pirotta

My Cousin the Minotaur: A Greek Myth Retold

This book was originally an interactive e-book, written for Fiction Express website, which allows readers to determine the plot of a story.The story follows princess Chloe who discovers that her cousin, Alexander from Axos, was cursed by the gods (as a punishment for his father’s offence to them) and turned into a hideous Minotaur. In order to save him, Chloe must travel to Mount Olympus and gather the necessary ingredients for an antidote. In the end, she succeeds, together with a servant(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Amos Tutuola

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts

Just like his first novel, The Palm-wine Drinkard, Amos Tutuola’s second novel, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts has its roots in the folkloric oral tradition of the Yoruba tribe of the Southwest of Nigeria. The author uses the first person narrative technique to tell his story set in the jungle inhabited by goblins and other weird and fantastic monsters acting in the spiritual realm. As common in folklores, the basic themes of the novel are focussed around didactic instructions to (...)

african

YEAR: 1954

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Thiago de Moraes

Myth Atlas: maps and monsters, heroes and gods from twelve mythological worlds

With its high quality production values, including lavish, detailed illustrations, a hardback cover and generous 33 cm tall pages, de Moraes’ Myth Atlas has the dimensions and desirability of a coffee table book. The title page "The Worlds of Myth" uses a map of the world to introduce and geographically locate the twelve cultures which are showcased in the text: the Native North Americans, the Aztecs, the Irish, the South American Yanomami, the Yoruba of Western Africa, the (...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


The British Museum

Mythical Top Trumps

This webpage, available via the British Museum’s online “Young Explorers” resources, shows how to create a “top-trumps” game involving fantastic creatures from several cultures using easy to obtain materials: ruler, blank paper, pencil and colouring pencils/crayons. Users are told how to get started by drawing out a template left blank at the top and with several ruled lines beneath. Those creating the game are free to select any mythological figure for each card th(...)

ephemeral

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Nick Harris, Nicki Palin, David Wyatt

Mythology Code Writing Kit (Ology Stationary Kit)

This is an attractive set. The purpose is for the players to create their own secret messages using the different codes. On the inside cover there is a note from John, who hopes that whoever finds this kit writes down their own adventures, and not succumb to greed as he did. The players are encouraged to use various forms of expressions for their secret messages. For example, the use of vase painting to convey ideas (there are stickers of such vases), or writing their names in the Greek alphabet(...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Sandra Lawrence , Emma Trithart

Myths and Legends

Sandra Lawrence's Myths and Legends is relatively unusual amongst children's myth books in that it places more emphasis on comparative mythology than on story-telling. The book's five sections are arranged to stress features shared in common across myths, such as journeys, creation, trees, tricksters, and solar chariots. Some myths are told in summary form to demonstrate the story types that are being introduced (King Arthur: The Once and Future King and Theseus: The Highly-Strung He(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Geraldine McCaughrean, Bee Willey

Myths and Legends of the World: The Bronze Cauldron

The book offers a retelling of myths from around the world, suitable for children of all ages. (Among the myths we have stories from Mayan culture, Papua New Guinea, Inuit tale, Japanese and more).(...)

literary

YEAR: 1997

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


José Daniel Cabrera Peña, Neil Smith

Myths and Legends: Jason and the Argonauts

The book describes the quest of Jason and the Argonauts in great detail, accompanied by original paintings by the illustrator as well as maps and photos from other sources. The main story is narrated in the middle, yet there are excerpts in several chapters which illuminate other key points of the story, such as the Golden Fleece, the list of Argonauts, Jason in movies etc. This is not a fiction but rather a narration of the myth aimed at older readership. The book includes an introduction on th(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United Kingdom United States of America


José Daniel Cabrera Peña, Graeme Davis

Myths and Legends: Theseus and the Minotaur

This book, part of the Myths and Legends series, surveys the myths attributed to Theseus: his eraly life and journey to Athens, the myth of the minotaur including the events preceding the creation of the labyrinth and king Minos, the desertion of Ariadne and the death of Aegeus, (the vents of the labyrinth take up 25 pp), Theseus as the king of Athens, Theseus and Pirithous, the Lapiths and Centaurs, Helen and Persephone, the Amazons, Phaedra and Hippolytus Theseus’ death and decedents, re(...)

literary

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Neil Gaiman

Neverwhere

Richard Mayhew is a young businessman recently moved to London where his job is almost as dull as his fiancé, a demanding and over-bearing social climber. One night he stumbles over a girl lying injured on the sidewalk. When he stops to help her, he inadvertently opens himself up to a second fantastical world – London Below, an underworld city that shadows the real London. Neverwhere involves a character descending into the Underworld, Odysseus-like, to see what lies beyond the ever(...)

literary

YEAR: 1996

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kate McMullan , Denis Zilber

Nice Shot, Cupid! (Myth-O-Mania, 4)

This is the fourth book in the Myth-O-Mania series, which offer alternative versions of the Greek myths, narrated by Hades. Hades, who is a self-professed shy and serious god, promises to tell the whole truth about the Greek myth; he claims that his brother Zeus, is a myth-o-maniac (that is, a liar) and that he fabricated the myths and wrote his version so that he and his children will appear noble and praiseworthy. Hades’ versions offer the “true” story of the myths.In this bo(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom United States of America


Malorie Blackman

Noughts & Crosses

Sephy Hadley and Callum McGregor are best friends as children, but they live in a world where dark-skinned Crosses like Sephy dominate every aspect of society while the pale-skinned Noughts like Callum are oppressed. The history behind this oppression hints at an inversion of the power dynamics of classical history. Meanwhile, both Sephy (‘Persephone’) and her sister, Minerva, have classically-inspired names, recalling the Ancient Greek queen of the Underworld and the goddess of wisd(...)

literary

YEAR: 2001

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Simon Spence

Odysseus

This is a retelling of Homer's Odyssey with myths based on the Epic Cycle used for additional material. The narrative order of the Odyssey is rejected in favour of a chronological approach. Most of the gods are helpful in this retelling. The "sea-god" alone persecutes Odysseus, and as Odysseus is not shown to be responsible for what incurred the sea-god's wrath, Odysseus appears a highly sympathetic figure. The story includes violence, but extreme violence and sex are avoided t(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Cari Meister, Nadine Takvorian

Odysseus and the Cyclops

This book illustrates the encounter between Odysseus and his crew and the Cyclops Polyphemus. The book briefly introduces Odysseus and his return from Troy, prior to his meeting with the Cyclops. In the end, due to Odysseus’ ingenuity, the Greeks manage to escape the cave and the Cyclops is shunned by his peers.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Nick Roberts, Stella Tarakson

Odysseus' Trojan Trick (Hopeless Heroes, 8)

This is book 8 in the "Hopeless Heroes" series. This is a series of portal-fantasy adventures in which a timid boy travels to the world of ancient myth by means of a magic vase, and learns to be brave through adventures with classical heroes. At the end of the previous book, Tim Baker went to ancient Greece to try and say farewell to his friends, since his mother decided to sell the ancient vase, and found out that, due to one of Hera's machinations, they have no memories of him. A(...)

literary

YEAR: 2020

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Alexandra Sheppard

Oh My Gods

Oh My Gods is set in a fictional modern day in which the Greek Gods continue to exist although they are no longer worshipped. Zeus, and a host of other deities including Eros, Aphrodite and Apollo, have chosen to abandon the tedium of with Mount Olympus in favour of living a near-mortal life on Earth, incognito. In the spirit of mythological tradition Zeus has continued to procreate with mortal women into the 21st century. In this novel we follow his 14 years old, half-mortal daughter Helen whos(...)

literary

YEAR: 2019

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Frank Albert Farrar

Old Greek Nature Stories

This is a collection of Greek myths that relate to nature. Often, this ends up being myths about characters who are turned into nature, meaning Ovid’s Metamorphoses is a major source. The chapters are divided thematically, and within these each myth encompasses a few paragraphs. At the beginning of each chapter, there is a title page with a series of subheadings, which I have copied over onto the bullet points below. However, these subheadings do not appear in the main body of th(...)

literary

YEAR: 1910

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shoo Rayner

Olympia. Deadly Target (Olympia, 8)

Deadly Target is the eighth in author-illustrator Shoo Rayner’s Olympia series of chapter books, which show what life was like for ordinary children in Ancient Greece. It features Olly, whose father runs the gymnasium where the great athletes train, and who dreams of being an Olympic champion, if only he can beat his arch-enemy, Spiro. The story opens with ‘Eggy,’ the Olympic champion training Olly and Spiro to throw spears and javelins. They have to throw t(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shoo Rayner

Olympia. Jump for Glory (Olympia, 3)

Jump for Glory is the third in author-illustrator Shoo Rayner’s Olympia series of chapter books, which show what life was like for ordinary children in Ancient Greece. It features a boy named Olly, whose father runs the gymnasium where the great athletes train, and who dreams of being an Olympic champion. In Jump for Glory, Olly and Spiro (his ‘arch-enemy’) watch the athlete Makedon practising the long-jump: he runs, holding a large stone in each hand, then as he(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shoo Rayner

Olympia. On the Ball (Olympia, 7)

On the Ball is the seventh in author-illustrator Shoo Rayner’s Olympia series of chapter books, which show what life was like for ordinary children in Ancient Greece. It features Olly, whose father runs the gymnasium where the great athletes train, and who dreams of being an Olympic champion. In On the Ball, the athletes are having a break from their training, and playing a Spartan ball game called episkyros, for a bit of fun. Olly watches excitedly as they play, and the rul(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shoo Rayner

Olympia. Race for the Stars (Olympia, 6)

Race for the Stars is the sixth in author-illustrator Shoo Rayner’s Olympia series of chapter books which show what life was like for ordinary children in Ancient Greece. It features Olly, whose father runs the gymnasium where the great athletes train, and who dreams of being an Olympic champion. In Race for the Stars, Olly’s sister Chloe, who has an affinity with animals, wants to enter the Junior chariot race. Though women and girls are not allowed to race, horse and(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shoo Rayner

Olympia. Run Like the Wind (Olympia, 1)

Run Like the Wind is the first in author-illustrator Shoo Rayner’s Olympia series of chapter books, which show what life was like for ordinary children in Ancient Greece. It features Olly, whose father runs the gymnasium where the great athletes train, and who dreams of being an Olympic champion, if only he can beat his arch-enemy, Spiro. The story opens with Olly being chased through the streets of Athens by Spiro’s dog, Kerberos, who hates Olly even more than his own(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shoo Rayner

Olympia. Swim for Your Life (Olympia, 5)

Swim for Your Life is the fifth in author-illustrator Shoo Rayner’s Olympia series of chapter books, which show what life was like for ordinary children in Ancient Greece. It features a boy named Olly, whose father runs the gymnasium where the great athletes train, and who dreams of being an Olympic champion. In Swim for Your Life, the athletes are preparing for a swimming race, and making sacrifices to the river god, Alfeios (Alpheus). Olly and Spiro, his rival, have the mo(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shoo Rayner

Olympia. Throw for Gold (Olympia, 4)

Throw for Gold is the fourth in author-illustrator Shoo Rayner’s Olympia series of chapter books, which show what life was like for ordinary children in Ancient Greece. It features Olly, whose father runs the gymnasium where the great athletes train, and who dreams of being an Olympic champion, if only he can beat his arch-enemy, Spiro. The story opens with Olly and Spiro learning to throw the discus. Spiro is stronger than Olly, and hurls his discus further. His dog pounces on the di(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shoo Rayner

Olympia. Wrestle to Victory (Olympia, 2)

Wrestle to Victory is the second in author-illustrator Shoo Rayner’s Olympia series of chapter books, which show what life was like for ordinary children in Ancient Greece. It features Olly, whose father runs the gymnasium where the great athletes train, and who dreams of being an Olympic champion, if only he can beat his arch-enemy, Spiro. Olly has to give in to Spiro this time, and promises to do his errands for a week. The first errand involves taking a parcel to Simonede(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Nick Willing

Olympus

In a strange world where gods have been banished and jailed in the Underworld and their gigantic statues lie shattered on the ground in the realm of the living, a young man tries to find his destiny with the help of, or in spite of hindrance, deception and manipulation by, people he meets who try to use him for their own purposes. Against all odds he manages to conquer even the inexorable Time and unexpectedly frees Zeus from captivity in the depths of Hades: Zeus who has the young man’s f(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: Canada United Kingdom


Caroline Bruce Cooney

On the Seas to Troy / Goddess of Yesterday: A Tale of Troy

Six-year-old Anaxandra is abducted from her family’s humble island by a pirate king named Nicander. After inadvertently revealing the location of her father’s hidden treasure hoard, she loses all value as a hostage, but remains in the household of Nicander, who turns out to be a kind man. Anaxandra grows up as a playmate for his sickly daughter Callisto. But when she is twelve, another band of pirates attacks Siphnos, slaughter Nicander and lay waste to his kingdom. Miraculously, Ana(...)

literary

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Emma Chichester Clark, Geraldine McCaughrean

Orchard Book of Roman Myths

This is a retelling of Roman myths, meant for ages 9–12, that takes the readers through a fantastic journey of cultural transition, from Troy to Rome. It combines some tales of Greek mythology with Roman myths (Romulus and Remus, the Sibylline prophecies, Tages, Camillus, Lara, the Sabine Women, Aeneas). The chapters of the book are as follows:Introduction: explains how the Romans translated the Greek gods, creating their own mythology where the main concept was "duty". 1) T(...)

literary

YEAR: 1999

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Ash

Orpheus

This song was written by Wheeler after he did a screen test for the role of Christian in Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 Moulin Rouge! (Ryan, 2019), itself based on the myth of Orpheus. The lyrics are narrated by an Orpheus-character and take place after the loss of Eurydice: ‘ever since I lost her’; ‘hit me without warning, I was left out on my own’. The song ultimately deals with the process of recovery after lost love, underlined by the chorus: ‘I need the sunshine in (...)

music

YEAR: 1998

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Richard Kennedy, Rosemary Sutcliff

Outcast

Outcast is a young adult novel that tells the story of a teenager named Beric, a Roman by birth who is adopted, but subsequently cast out, by a British tribe. Sometime in the mid-second century CE, on the south coast of modern Devon, Cunori of the Dumnonii tribe finds a baby boy washed ashore following a shipwreck. The boy's deceased parents are Romans, but despite the warnings of the local Druid Merddyn, Cunori adopts the boy and convinces his clan, with the help of the blind harpist Rhiada(...)

literary

YEAR: 1955

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Joseph Coelho

Overheard in a Tower Block

Overheard in a Tower Block is a collection of forty-nine children’s poems. Most of the poems are told from the perspective of a young boy growing up in a London tower block. They explore various aspects of the boy’s life such as playing with other children, listening to his parents arguing, exploring the school library, and wondering why his father has left. It is a contemporary collection about modern childhood but on occasion it draws on mythological or fairy-tale stories and (...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


John Pepper Clark

Ozidi

In Ozidi, J. P. Clark depicts a series of crises in the state of Orua. The play begins with the Story-Teller, who reminiscences the death of six kings in four years in the state of Orua. The Story-Teller also relates the need for a new king on the vacant throne. The council of elders of the land (Ofe, The Short, Azezabife, The Skeleton, Agbogidi, The Nude and Oguaran, The Giant) do not listen to the elders’ plea that time be taken to select a new king. On their own decision, they proceed w(...)

african

YEAR: 1966

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Victoria Turnbull

Pandora

Pandora is the story of a lonely she-fox living in complete isolation in the land of broken things. As she has no one to talk to or spend time with, she keeps busy gathering and fixing all the broken things that she finds outside (we see a broken bicycle, a tv set, furniture, etc.). For example, she tries to bring a teddy bear "back to life" by mending his ripped back. But even the cosiest home that Pandora managed to make for herself does not bring life to the land of broken things.&n(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shoo Rayner

Pandora

This is the story of a very curious girl named Pandora. Pandora is curious and always asks many questions about the world. She enters a room she is not allowed and then opens a box which she should never open. Evil creatures fly out from the box but also benevolent hope. Since the book is aimed at young readers, certain words are emphasized randomly, like sound effects (such as tickety, clank, bump) or words like miracle, very etc.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Carla Faraldo, Diana Nemesu

Pandora and Earl: A Christmas Tale

It is Christmastime, and there is a box with Pandora's name on it waiting under the tree. Earl, Pandora's stuffed owl, wonders what is in the box. Pandora shakes it, trying to figure out what is inside. Finally, Earl convinces Pandora to open it before Christmas. There is a note inside telling Pandora to put the box back, or she would get nothing. The next morning, on Christmas day, Pandora opens her gift, assuming it would be empty because she had peeked, but instead, finds a blue(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Sally Grindley, Nilesh Mistry

Pandora and The Mystery Box

This is a retelling of the myth of Pandora’s box. The story briefly narrates the creation of the primordial world, then the emergence of the Titans and their war with the gods. Men are then created by Prometheus and Athena. Next, after Epimetheus gives all of Mother Earth’s gifts to the animals, Prometheus sets out to steal the fire for mankind. Zeus is angry with mankind for their use of fire and decides to punish them. Zeus creates the female Pandora and the other gods grant her gi(...)

literary

YEAR: 1999

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Julia Golding, J. Solomon

Pandora's Box

This is a retelling of the tale of Pandora’s Box. The uniqueness of this book is that Pandora is the first-person narrator who tells her own story from the moment she was created and was taught from the gods, to the time she married Epimetheus and opened the cursed box. The book is aimed at advanced readers and in the last pages there are suggestions for reading comprehension and exercises provided by Dr. Clare Dowdall, lecturer and primary literacy consultant from the University of Plymou(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Natalie Haynes

Pandora's Jar: Women in Greek Myths

This book is not fiction nor a retelling of myths. It offers a literary and scholarly analysis by a well-known classicist of various female characters from Greek myth. As the author explains, "I decided I would choose ten women whose stories have been told and retold – in paintings, plays, films, operas, musicals and more – and I would show how differently they were viewed in the ancient world." [location 67].The author chose the following mythological women: Pandora, Jocas(...)

literary

YEAR: 2020

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Peter Bailey, Rose Impey

Pandora’s Box

This is a retelling of Pandora’s box myths. The story narrates the creation of men by Prometheus and his stealing of the fire. It then narrates the story of Pandora. It begins with the creation myth of Prometheus and also of Pandora.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Thorsten Opper, Nick Saunders

Pandora’s Box

This comic book narrates the tale of Pandora. The illustration are colourful and can cover a page or at times there are several smaller pictures per page. There are titles caption which offers a shot narrative and the characters speak to each other. It opens with a brief explanation on the Olympian gods and the stealing of fire by Prometheus. The creation of Pandora follows, as the punishment of humankind is explained and then her life with Epimetheus and her opening of the box. The end continue(...)

literary

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Marcia Dorothy Williams

Pandora’s Box and Perseus and the Gorgon’s Head

This book offers an adapted retelling of myths for children. The stories included are the creation of humanity by Prometheus, Prometheus and the sacrifice to Zeus, Prometheus and the gift of fire, Pandora’s box, Perseus and the slaying of Medusa. There are little illustrations (cartoonish in style) which accompany the short stories (about 4 pages per story). The illustrations appear on almost every page.(...)

literary

YEAR: 1991

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Christos Kondeatis, Sara Maitland

Pandora’s Box: A 3-Dimensional Celebration of Greek Mythology

"Open this box…and enter a world of marvels" invites the blurb of Maitland and Kondeatis’ Pandora’s Box. Fastened with a golden ribbon, the book/box opens to reveal hidden compartments, pop up pages, and other interactive elements alongside a textual commentary of the myths, culture and history of the ancient Greek world. It includes a labelled portrait of the major Olympians with their symbols and accoutrements and a map of Odysseus’ wanderings. On one page lo(...)

literary

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Gary Renison

Pandora’s Socks

Pandora Johnson receives a new chest of drawers with a secret locked inside. She and her friend, Lucy, learn that sometimes it’s better to leave things alone after they open the drawer and enchanted socks escape, wreaking havoc all around.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


McLean Kendree, Cari Meister

Pandora’s Vase

A retelling of the story of Pandora’s vase is accompanied by illustrations. It includes a cast of characters and glossary page of important words. It begins with a bit of background about the Olympians fighting the Titans and winning, continuing with how, after the war, Zeus had Prometheus and Epimetheus create animals and men to populate earth. Prometheus then stole fire from Olympus to keep the men warm. Zeus, in response, said that Prometheus and mankind would suffer. He then bound Prom(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Robin McKinley

Pegasus (Pegasus, 1)

The story is set in a fantasy land called Balsinland. In this land, humans and Pegasi share a unique 1000-year-old alliance. The Pegasi in this book share a civilized society, with artisans and other artists; they have produce paper and fabrics. When Princess Sylviianel, King Corone IV’s fourth child and only daughter becomes 12 years old, she receives a Pegasus named Ebon. She is ceremonially bound to him, as is the ancient custom in her kingdom. All members of the royal family are bound (...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kate O’Hearn

Pegasus and the End of Olympus (Pegasus, 6)

This is the sixth and final book in the Pegasus series, which follows the adventures of Emily, a mortal girl from New York who one day discovers a wounded Pegasus on her rooftop. In the previous book, Emily and her friends went to Hawaii and later Emily and the Xan Riza who lived inside of her were separated into two different bodies. Lorin, the Titan who also inherited part of Riza’s Xan powers returned to Olympus with them and Emily must teach her how to control her powers with comp(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kate O’Hearn

Pegasus and the Fight for Olympus (Pegasus, 2)

This is the second installment in the Pegasus series. For more on this series, see the entry on Pegasus and the Flame.After saving Olympus, our heroes, Emily, Paelen and Joel, together with Pegasus, are still nonetheless facing constant threats from the Nirads. They need to return to earth to save Emily’s father, who is being held by CRU. They are also being assisted by the charming Cupid, who causes some tension within the group. Cupid relies on his charm, yet he is an aloof Olympian(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kate O’Hearn

Pegasus and the Flame (Pegasus, 1)

This is the first installment in the Pegasus series.  While the main protagonist, Emily Jacobs, is not a descendant of the gods, she is nonetheless a special Olympian deity, called “the daughter of Vesta” and “the flame of Olympus”.The main characters are Emily, a thirteen years old girl who recently lost her mother and whose police officer father works long hours; the class bully, Joel, who is interested in myths; and an Olympian thief named Paelen, who tried to ste(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kate O’Hearn

Pegasus and the New Olympians (Pegasus, 3)

The story begins with an Olympian football match, suggested by the mortal Joel. During the game, when Joel is kissed by the mischievous Sphinx, Emily realizes she is jealous yet is reluctant to acknowledge her growing affection for Joel. Meanwhile Emily continues her struggle with her power. She discovers that besides the power of the flame, she might possess more mysterious powers which could make objects disappear. That is why she is afraid she might hurt her friends. Meanwhile her father acts(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kate O’Hearn

Pegasus and the Origins of Olympus (Pegasus, 4)

This is the fourth book in the Pegasus series, which follows the adventures of Emily, a mortal girl from New York who one day discovers wounded Pegasus on her rooftop. Via various adventures, Emily travels from Earth to Olympus and discovers that she is not mortal, but a divinity known as the flame of Olympus. With the help of her mortal and Olympian friends, Emily tries to maintain peace in both worlds.In the last book, while threatened by government secret agents named CRU (Central Research Un(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kate O’Hearn

Pegasus and the Rise of the Titans (Pegasus, 5)

This is the fifth book in the Pegasus series, which follows the adventures of Emily, a mortal girl from New York who one day discovers wounded Pegasus on her rooftop. Via various adventures, Emily travels from Earth to Olympus and discovers that she is not mortal, but a divinity known as the flame of Olympus. With the help of her mortal and Olympian friends, Emily tries to maintain peace in both worlds. In the last book, Emily discovered she is actually a remnant of an ancient and wise race name(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Jan Lewis, Saviour Pirotta

Pegasus the Flying Horse

This book is part of an Easy-to Read series accompanied by colorful illustrations (Orchard Colour Crunchies). It is part of a ten-book series on Greek myths.This story narrates the fight of Bellerophon and Pegasus against the Chimera. The story begins with a description of the monstrous Chimera and the king’s request to Bellerophon to neutralize it. Bellerophon consults a magician who advises him to catch the flying horse, Pegasus, in order to vanquish the Chimera. Bellerophon waits for Pe(...)

literary

YEAR: 2008

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Russ Daff

Perseus and Andromeda (Mini Myth, 2)

This is the second book in Russ Daff’s Mini Myth series, which retells myths in comic form for children. The first book introduced Perseus and his quest to slay Medusa. This book continues the adventures of Perseus. At the end of the previous book, Perseus was rewarded by Zeus with Pegasus, the flying horse. In this book, Perseus arrives at Joppa and saves Princess Andromeda. Andromeda’s mother vainly boasts that her daughter is more beautiful than the sea nymphs. The nymphs are angr(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Russ Daff

Perseus and Medusa (Mini Myth, 1)

The story begins with King Acrisius locking his daughter Danae in a tower to prevent the fulfillment of a prophecy that she will conceive a child who will kill him. Meanwhile Zeus decides to teach him a lesson. He sends her energy (which appears like bright light) and she conceives a baby. As a result, she is cast away on the sea by her father, but Poseidon helps them arrive safely at the shore of Seriphos. When Perseus grows up, the King of Seriphos grows jealous of the brave Perseus and become(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


James Matthew Barrie, Francis Donkin Bedford

Peter and Wendy

Peter Pan meets the Darling children, Wendy, John and Michael, when he flies into their nursery through the window one evening to retrieve his lost shadow. Mr. and Mrs. Darling are out at a nearby party, and the children’s nursemaid, a Newfoundland dog named Nana, has been dismissed from the house to a post in the backyard. The Darling children are enchanted by the mercurial Peter and by the fairy named Tinker Bell, and Peter entreats them to join him at his home in the Neverland. Captivat(...)

literary

YEAR: 1911

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kate McMullan , Denis Zilber

Phone Home, Persephone! (Myth-O-Mania, 2)

This is the second book in the Myth-O-Mania series, which offer alternative versions of the Greek myths, narrated by Hades. Hades, who is a self-professed shy and serious god, promises to tell the whole truth about the Greek myth; he claims that his brother Zeus, is a myth-o-maniac (that is, a liar) and that he fabricated the myths and wrote his version so that he and his children will appear noble and praiseworthy. Hades’ versions offer the “true” story of the myths.This book (...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Bastille

Pompeii

The song describes the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD and its aftermath from the perspective of the inhabitants of nearby Pompeii, although this inferred only from the title and not referenced directly in the song. The lyrics are imagined as a conversation between two people who were victims of the eruption. The song is mostly formed of repetitions of the following refrain and chorus, the first part which directly references the eruption and the second part of which reflects the idea of the conve(...)

music

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Pauline Baynes, Clive Staples (C.S.) Lewis

Prince Caspian (The Chronicles of Narnia, 2)

Prince Caspian is the second book published in the Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis. In this sequel to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the Pevensie children – Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan – sit at a railway station waiting to start their new term at boarding school. Suddenly, they are unexpectedly catapulted to a desert island. After some exploration of the island, they discover that they have in fact returned to Narnia – a magical land that they discover(...)

literary

YEAR: 1951

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Nick Roberts, Stella Tarakson

Problem with Pythagoras (Hopeless Heroes, 4)

This is book 4 in the Hopeless Heroes series. This is a series of portal-fantasy adventures in which a timid boy travels to the world of ancient myth by means of a magic vase, and learns to be brave through adventures with classical heroes. Our hero, Tim Baker, faces two difficult problems. The first – a failing math test. The other – his mother's new boyfriend who happens to be a teacher from his school, Larry Green. Tim is dumbfounded and is not sure how to react to this awkwar(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Terence (Terry) David John Pratchett

Pyramids (Discworld, 7)

Pyramids is set in the fictional Djelibeybi (or the Djel), the tiny, powerless remains of an empire whose only importance is as a strategic block between its neighbours, Tsort and Ephebe. Pteppic/Teppic, the crown prince, has been training at the Assassin’s Guild in Ankh-Morpork. Returning to the kingdom following his father’s death, Teppic discovers that he has no real power, and the real ruler is Dios, the ancient high priest. After an unfortunate series of misunderstandings in whi(...)

literary

YEAR: 1989

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Alan Garner

Red Shift

Red Shift tells the stories of three men, connected by place and separated by time. These three characters are connected by place, particularly Mow Cop, a hill in Cheshire. The twentieth-century narrative focuses on the tense relationship and regular meetings between teenager Tom and his girlfriend Jan. Tom lives in a caravan with his overbearing parents and is studying in preparation for university; meanwhile Jan is moving to London for her own studies The novel concludes with Tom beh(...)

literary

YEAR: 1973

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Joseph Rudyard Kipling

Regulus

An introductory note preceding the story explains that the Roman general Regulus, about whom Horace wrote the Ode 3, 5, was captured by Carthaginians and then sent to Rome to negotiate on their behalf. Regulus convinced the Senate not to negotiate with his captors, knowing well that in retaliation, they would torture and kill him. At United Services College in Westward Ho!, the Latin teacher Mr. King asks Fifth Form students to prepare for the entry exam to military colleges to translate th(...)

literary

YEAR: 1917

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Vicky Arrowsmith, Leonie Pratt

Roman Things to Make and Do

This is an activity book which offers 18 Roman-themed activities for children: standing soldier paperchain, racing chariot painting, Roman sword, soldier’s shield, city collage, gladiator fight, senate picture, scroll, sticker pages, emperor’s wreath, Pop-up Roman god card (Neptune, Diana and Jupiter) coins and money bags, printed mosaics, catapult, cuffs and bangles, Roman feast picture, actor’s masks, how to wear a toga. There are short information bubbles for each activity.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Simon Adams

Romans

This work is a non-humorous introduction to ancient Roman society aimed at children aged 7+.Table of Contents:Who were the Romans?The Founding of RomeThe Roman RepublicFighting CarthageThe Roman ArmyRoman RoadsJulius CaesarCreating the EmpireConquering BritainFortificationsImperial RomeThe ColosseumA Day at the RacesLife in the CityWonderful WaterLife in the CountryThe Roman FamilyRoman ChildrenFood and LifestyleRoman ReligionPompeiiUp in ArmsDecline and FallWhat the Romans Did for UsFamous Roma(...)

literary

YEAR: 2014

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Neil Gaiman , Louise Hooper

Sandman (Series, S01E11): Calliope

Calliope is a self-contained story within the series, broadcast as episode 11.2, preceded by the animated Dream of a Thousand Cats (11.1).Richard Madoc (Arthur Darvill), a promising one-novel author, needs help finding the inspiration to write a new book. He visits Erasmus Fry (Derek Jacobi), an older writer. Erasmus tells a story from his past, when he visited Mt Helicon for inspiration for a book based on Greek mythology. Instead, he found an ancient text about the Muses and how to control the(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2022

COUNTRY: United Kingdom United States of America Worldwide


Steve Cole

Secret Agent Mummy: Hieroglyphs of Horror (Secret Agent Mummy, 3)

The Secret Agent Mummy texts are based on the premise that the gods of ancient Egypt are in fact aliens from the planet KaBa. Along with a retinue of other creatures, both good and evil, they came to Earth to be worshipped, and some are still around today. The mummified Sam (an acronym of Secret Agent Mummy) protected the Pharaohs in antiquity, and has remained on Earth to combat the monsters from KaBa, who seek world domination. He is assisted by his unique pets, Mumbum, a mummified dog eq(...)

literary

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Julia Golding

Secret of the Sirens (The Companions Quartet, 1)

An 11-year-old girl, Connie, is considered a freak because of a strong mutual attraction and affinity she feels for various animals and birds. She has to change schools often and is finally sent to stay with her aunt and continue her education in the small seaside village of Hescombe, in south-west England. It is progressively revealed that creatures we know from mythology are real and live still today but hidden from the majority of people; there is a millennium-old society protecting mythologi(...)

literary

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Julia Green, Teresa Murfin

Sephy's Story

In this book, Persephone (or Sephy) narrates how she was kidnapped by Pluto and ended up in the underworld. After she was tricked by Pluto into eating six pomegranate seeds, she has to live half the year with Pluto and half with her mother. In the end, Sephy comes to terms with her condition, and says that she even has started to care for the lonely Pluto, yet she also anticipates her return to earth and she celebrates spring and the rejuvenation of life.The book feature small illustrations in a(...)

literary

YEAR: 2007

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Alan Gibbons

Shadow of the Minotaur (The Legendeer Trilogy, 1)

Fourteen year old Phoenix is the only son of John and Christina Graves. His father is a talented computer programmer, and has been headhunted by a shadowy company to be involved in the development of a radical new computer game. The Legendeer game features state of the art virtual reality technology that provides a fully immersive sensory experience, enabling players to smell, eat and drink and feel pain.  John has drawn upon the legends told to him by his wife and son, who are passion(...)

literary

YEAR: 2000

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


David Gemmell

Shield of Thunder (Troy, 2)

Troy, Shield of Thunder is the second in a trilogy of books by David Gemmel on the story of Troy. Shield of Thunder and Fall of Kings were published posthumously after Gemmel’s passing in 2006. The book spins an epic tale of love, trust, romance and bloodshed across the years before the destruction of Troy. In Chapter 1, A Black Wind Rising, Penelope, wife of Odysseus and Ithakan queen is introduced. Kalliades, the young warrior, together with Banokles, rescue Piria the runaway t(...)

literary

YEAR: 2006

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Elle McNicoll

Show Us Who You Are

Show Us Who You Are tells the story of Cora Byers, an autistic twelve-year-old mourning the loss of her mother and dealing with bullies – both classmates and teachers – at school. Through her brother’s work at the mysterious Pomegranate Institute she meets Adrien, son of Pomegranate’s wealthy owner Magnus Hawkins. Cora and Adrien, who has ADHD, quickly become best friends. Meanwhile, Cora learns more about the work that is being done at Pomegranate to create hologram(...)

literary

YEAR: 2021

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Aleksei Bitskoff, Maz Evans

Simply the Quest (Who Let the Gods Out?, 2)

Simply The Quest picks up the story of Elliot and his mortal and immortal companions, a few months after the end of Who Let The Gods Out. In this instalment, the English boy Elliot Hooper’s troubles seem to haunt him still. Thanatos reawakens and wishes to get the Earth stone Elliot managed to take a hold off last time. Elliot’s mother is still sick, his history teacher is still out to get him and a mysterious incident on Christmas Eve has left the gods on house arrest. The Olym(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Nansubuga Nagadya Isdahl, Sandra Van Doorn

Sing to the Moon

The narrator, a young boy, expresses his wish to venture to the Moon, to Zanzibar to gaze at an old spice market, to traverse the forest and encounter the mythical beast and eat a monstrous feast upon return. He is disappointed as he wakes up to reality on a rainy day and finds Jjajja (grandfather) who has been waiting for him for breakfast, after which they clean the house while the former recounts his childhood stories. Among the stories Jjajja tells are: adventures with his best friend Kirabo(...)

african

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Anthea Davies, Errol le Cain

Sir Orfeo

Sir Orfeo retells a medieval English poem, based on the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice. Sir Orfeo is a harper-king, whose wife, Herodys, is carried off by a "grim king" of the underworld by magical means. Sir Orfeo leaves his kingdom in charge of his oldest counsellor, and sets out barefoot, wearing ragged clothes and carrying his harp. He lives in the wilderness (the "bare heath") with only small animals for company. One day, a train of ladies in white goes by, riding white (...)

literary

YEAR: 1970

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Giles Andreae, Korky Paul

Sir Scallywag (Series): Sir Scallywag and the Golden Underpants / Sir Scallywag and the Deadly Dragon Poo / Sir Scallywag and the Battle of Stinky Bottom

The Sir Scallywag series is set in a Northern European fantasy medieval environment, focused on the inept King Colin and his best knight, six-year old Sir Scallywag. In Sir Scallywag and the Golden Underpants, Scallywag ventures to retrieve the king's underwear from a thieving giant. In Sir Scallywag and the Deadly Dragon Poo, Scallywag leads the defence of the kingdom when it is attacked by Baron Greedyguts. In Sir Scallywag and the Battle of Stinky Bottom, the king discovers a book which p(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


David Almond

Skellig

Skellig opens the day after 10-year-old Michael has moved house. His new-born sister is very ill and may not live. He finds what seems to be a homeless man – Skellig – hiding in the dilapidated garage at the new house. Filthy, hungry and in constant pain because of his arthritis, Skellig slowly regains strength as Michael brings him food, beer, painkillers, and companionship. Michael spends less and less time at school and befriends a neighbour, Mina, who is home-schooled. Micha(...)

literary

YEAR: 1998

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Takayo Akiyama, Georgia Amson-Bradshaw

So You Want to Be a Roman Soldier?

Inspired by the book, Legionary: The Roman Soldier's (Unofficial) Manual by Philip Matyszak, So You Want to be a Roman Soldier? is an adventurous comic book that follows child characters Eddie, Kate and Angus as they explore what it takes to be a Roman solider. Their adventure begins in the Ancient Rome 100 CE wing at the history museum, where the children observe artifacts of various figures from ancient Rome: a stern image of Junia on a plaque; statues of Leontius and Metella; and a painti(...)

literary

YEAR: 2019

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Rosemary Sutcliff

Song for a Dark Queen

The novel recounts the events of the Boudiccan Revolt (60/61 CE) from the perspective of the Icenian harpist Cadwan. Cadwan describes his relationship with Boudicca, from when she was a headstrong but amiable child, through to her arranged marriage to Prasutagus of the Parisi and premature elevation to the queenship, and finally Boudicca's revolt against Roman rule. Boudicca is initially resistant towards the marriage with Prasutagus, but their mutual affection grows, especially after he ris(...)

literary

YEAR: 1978

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Peter Bull Art Studio , Sarah Kahn

Spot the Mummy in the Museum

Each volume in the Spot the... series presents children with an environment to explore. Greco-Roman culture forms a prominent part of the environment in this edition, which is set in a museum. Each double-page spread in the books in this series depicts a scene from the specified environment which children search to find the themed object; in this case they search for the mummy in each room of the museum. Each double-page also picks out approximately five objects that are specific to that scene f(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Lisa Jane Gillespie , Emi Ordas

Sticker Greek Myths

Each 1 or 2-page section of Sticker Greek Myths presents a scene of figures within an ancient environment, accompanied by approximately fifty words of explanatory text. The child reader/viewer is invited to use stickers that are specific to that section to build-up the scene. The stickers typically feature clothing and accessories such as weapons and ropes, and scene-specific items such as Heracles' lion-skin cloak and the Chimera's heads.1. Mount Olympus: This section introduces th(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Jean-Sébastien Deheeger , Louie Stowell

Sticker Romans

Sticker Romans is part of the Dress-up Sticker Books for the Usborne Activities Series. Similar to the Sticker Greek Myths book, also catalogued in this database, the book features a number of inhabitants of Ancient Rome in their underwear who can be dressed in clothing facilitated by the single purpose stickers located in the last ten pages of the book. Each double-page represents a particular scene from Rome, like the forum or a villa, so that a variety of characters – from gladiators an(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Kate McMullan , Denis Zilber

Stop that Bull, Theseus! (Myth-O-Mania, 5)

This is the fifth book in the Myth-O-Mania series. In this series, Hades is the narrator who promises to tell the whole truth about the Greek myth; he claims that his brother Zeus is a myth-o-maniac (that is, a liar) and that he fabricated the myths and wrote his version so that he and his children will appear noble and praiseworthy. In this book, Hades reveals the truth behind the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Hades claims that the Minotaur was actually Zeus’ grandson (Pasiphae w(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shahrukh Husain , Bee Willey

Stories from Ancient Civilisations: Greece

This retelling of a selection of classical myths begins with a section on the importance of myth for ancient peoples, including as a means to explain aspects of the world and to explain concepts such as deities, who, Husain writes, were taken as "seriously" (p. 4) in antiquity as they are by religious people today. The author states that these stories were transmitted orally until they came to be written down, notably by Hesiod (dated here to c. 700 BCE), Homer (dated to 750–725 (...)

literary

YEAR: 2004

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Enid Blyton, Chris Price

Tales of Ancient Greece

This is a short collection of Greek myths retold for children. They are related in fairly simple language, mostly adapted closely from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The illustrations take the form of black and white line drawings depicting key moments in the chapters.Pandora and the Whispering Box.Phaeton and the Sun-Horses.Proserpina and the King of the Underworld.The Maiden of the Laurel Tree (Daphne and Apollo)The Watchman with a Hundred Eyes (Io and Argus).The Story of Echo and Narcissus.The K(...)

literary

YEAR: 1930

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Enid Blyton, Anne Johnstone, Janet Johnstone

Tales of Long Ago

This is a collection of short stories "retold by Enid Blyton" for children. Half are drawn from Greek mythology, half from Arabian Nights.Tales from Ancient Greece:Pandora and the Whispering BoxPhaeton and the Sun-HorsesProserpina and the King of the UnderworldThe Maiden and the Laurel TreeThe Watchman with a Hundred EyesThe Story of Echo and NarcissusThe King with the Golden TouchThe Story of Orpheus and EurydiceClytie, the Sunflower MaidenThe Story of Baucis and PhilemonThe Statue th(...)

literary

YEAR: 1965

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


William Terence Deary, Dave Smith, Michael Tickner

Terry Deary's Best Ever Greek Legends / Top Ten Greek Legends

This is a collection of humorous retellings of myths for children designed to introduce them to Greek mythology and to ancient culture more broadly. Many of the stories are told from unusual perspectives and they are delivered in a variety of literary forms and fonts.Contents:Introduction.Legend 1: Zeus. Hera's Tale. The myth of Io told with Hera narrating events from her perspective.Fantastic Facts 1: 10 Best Victims. Summaries of myths of: Semele, Aphrodite, Echo, Nemesis, Europa, Danae, T(...)

literary

YEAR: 1998

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Christina Balit, Hugh Lupton, Daniel Morden

The Adventures of Odysseus

This book offers a compact retelling of the trials and tribulations of Odysseus’ journey home from Troy. The prologue begins with the judgement of Paris and how this led to a 10 year long war between the Greeks and the Trojans. The prologue explains that the Greeks won the war, retrieved Helen and began their journeys home with ships full of loot. The book proceeds to tell the story of Odysseus’ journey home beginning 9 years in as he washes up on the shores of Phaeacia. In the same (...)

literary

YEAR: 2006

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Mark Bergin, Peter Hepplewhite, David Salariya

The Adventures of Perseus

The story begins at the birth of Perseus, from the prophecy of the death of King Acrisius of Argos by the hand of his daughter Danae’s son. Zeus falls on Danae in the form of a golden shower, and their son Perseus is born. Acrisius puts his daughter and grandson into a wooden chest and throws them into the sea. The unfortunate pair are rescued by Zeus, Poseidon, and the fisherman Dictys. The King of Seriphos, Polydectes, brother of Dictys, falls in love with Perseus's mother. He (...)

literary

YEAR: 2004

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Stephen Cartwright, Claudia Zeff

The Amazing Adventures of Hercules

This illustrated storybook is written with deliberately simple language for those learning to read. It belongs to a series that contains many examples of traditional myths and simplified versions of classic literature. The books tells the story of Hercules' youth and the famous Twelve Labours, divided into chapters as follows:Chapter 1. The Jealous Goddess. Chapter 2. The Tasks Begin. Chapter 3. A Stag and a Boar. Chapter 4. Rivers and Birds. Chapter 5. Bulls and Hor(...)

literary

YEAR: 1982

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Stuart Hill, Sandra Lawrence

The Atlas of Heroes. A World of Heroes from Myth and Legend

This atlas is large in scale (at 28x34 cm) and sumptuously illustrated with hand-drawn maps decorated with numerous heroes associated with each location. The figures on the maps are numbered, and these correspond to a companion page which features summaries of each hero. The maps are double-framed within an introductory story communicated via text and illustration; a young girl discovers the atlas as part of a stash of items in an attic, and the atlas features notes added by her as she uncovers (...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom