A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys (Everyman's Library Children's Classics Series) by Nathaniel Hawthorne

A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys (Everyman's Library Children's Classics Series) Reviews

• 
  Tonkica

  Pričanje grčkih mitova djeci, približavanje velikih likova na jednostavan, simpatičan i maštovit način je divan temelj za daljnje istraživanje. Pripovijedanje kao takvo je temeljeno na baš takvim okupljanjima. Potpuno razumijem – baš „pita“ nekome ih čitati! Za mlađe da im čitamo, za malo starije da si sami čitaju.. Kako god, svi pokriveni i svi zadovoljni!
  
  „Kako je teška lekcija čekanja! Naš je život kratak, a koliko ga potrošimo samo dok to naučimo!“
  
• 
  rr

  My recent time with Hawthorne and Hawthorne scholarship has made me cautious about taking anything Hawthorne said about himself at face value, but I am inclined to agree with him when he remarked that The Wonder Book was some of his best work. I've read many re-tellings of classical myths for both children and adults, and I put Hawthorne's renditions among the very (very) best. His intention is not to remain faithful to the myths' ancient forms (at least not in any straightforward understanding of "faithful"). Instead, Hawthorne recasts the tales into new shapes and animates them with his own blithe spirit. His touch and tone are delightful. His verbal pictures are sure and vivid. As I was re-reading the book today I found myself laughing out loud at some moments, crying at others, and altogether having a wonderful time. And the frame stories for each piece provide a pastoral and American coherence to the volume, making it a singular experience rather than an assorted collection.
• 
  Luca

  This was one of my favorites from the Barnes & Noble Children's Classics so far. It is lovely to read these tales that feel somewhat familiar from my youth, and I also liked the setting where these tales were told to a group of children by 'Cousin Eustace'. I enjoyed all of the tales, but Bellerophon and Pegasus was my favorite.
• 
  Mariangel

  Daniel's Review: This book has six stories about Greek myths: The adventures of Perseus, the golden touch, the paradise of the children, Hercules and the golden apples, the story of Baucis and Philemon, and the Chimaera. I liked all of them. I liked Perseus the most, and the book is awesome.
• 
  Maninee

  14 year old me was a git and I cannot believe I was smug enough to add "unlike my peers" in a review. I'm surprised no one punched me in the face.
  
  *Review of 30 Sep, 2011*
  
  I have always been fascinated by Greek mythology and, unlike many of my peers, have been reading about it long before I even heard of the Percy Jackson series. Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tanglewood Tales was one of the first books that I had ever read on Greek mythology and nurtured my love for it. So when I saw the book on my school library shelf, I couldn't help picking it up.
  
  This book was good read, though I must confess, I've read about most of the stories before from Roger Lancelyn Green's Tales of the Greek Heroes . But Hawthorne's way of storytelling is different from Lancelyn's and it was nice to read his version of the tales.
  
  There were six stories in this book: The Pegasus, the magic pitcher, Pandora, the three golden apples, Medusa and Midas. All of them are famous Greek legends.
  
  The writing dragged a bit most of the times but the descriptions were nice and Hawthorne's way of describing the gods is better than that of Lancelyn's(I especially liked his description of Mercury/Hermes as Quicksilver). The stories are written as though they are narrated by a character named Eustace. It's a good read but I think I like the Tanglewood Tales better 'cause it has a better collection.
• 
  Teresa

  This was a great first step into the world of Greek mythology for my 7 and 4 year olds. We read it aloud together and they were enthralled with each story, and have even been acting out some of the stories during their playtime. Today, my 4 year old brought me a drawing of the Chimaera fighting Bellerophon on Pegasus. Very engaging!
• 
  Michelle

  Fancy review:
  https://bookdevotions.com/book-review...
  
  Our last read-aloud of the school year, and perhaps the best?! First off, this is by the same Nathaniel Hawthorne who wrote The Scarlett Letter, one of my least favorite classics of all time. But THIS book was delightful!
  
  It's a collection of six Greek myths retold within a frame. The frame takes the form of a wealthy, established American family, full of children who are lucky enough to possess an educated cousin named Eustace Bright, who always tells the best stories. Eustace is away at college, but every season (fall, winter, spring, and summer) he returns home, where he rambles over hill and dale with the children and tells them Greek myths, reclothed in his own Gothic literary style.
  
  Since the myths are supposed to be coming out of Eustace's mouth, they are pitch-perfect read-alouds. The language is elevated, lush, and complex—definitely a little much for my 5-year-old, and I did have to stop and explain a lot. But he and his brother were perfectly able to follow the thread of the storyline, and they really liked each one, especially those with monsters like the chimera.
  
  When I read aloud to my boys, I omitted the frame sections, where the cousins beg Eustace to tell them a story and he agrees. I thought these would be tedious for them, but I read them to myself, and they were actually the most interesting bits for me.
  
  In one of the frames, Eustace is summoned to tell one of his stories in the presence of his classically educated uncle, who basically says, "I liked your story well enough, but it's an abomination. You took too many liberties with the canon." Eustace defends himself by saying something like, "These stories belong to humanity, not to Homer or Ovid. I've just as much right to reimagine them as anyone." Well played, Eustace.
  
  Hawthorne even writes himself into the very last few paragraphs, which brought a smile to my face.
  
  Our library copy contains full-color illustrations by the incomparable Arthur Rackham. I only wish they were larger so I could see the details better.
• 
  Mackenzie Melo

  What a wonderful little book for girls and boys. Yes, for girls and boys, not for boys and girls, as strange as it may sound.
  
  Is that Howthorne ahead of his time or is he only trying to stir some curiosity? I don't have the answer and I don't know if anyone has, but it is, nevertheless, an interesting subject to ponder upon.
  
  Six myths, retold by one of the American Classic writers that made me feel back in my childhood, watching Clash of The Titans, with Perseus fighting the Medusa with his sword and shield-mirror. Or to feel the sadness of Marygold when she can't smell a golden flower. Or yet, to hear Philemon and Baucis in their garden wanting to live and die together...
  
  By the way, this passage below is one that touches my heart, especially after reading The Miraculous Pitcher, my favorite story of the six.
  
  "Whenever a wayfarer paused beneath it, he heard a pleasant whisper of the leaves above his head, and wondered how the sound should so much resemble words like these:— "Welcome, welcome, dear traveler, welcome!"
  
  Feel welcomed to the book, dear reader. It is a wonder.
• 
  Malapata

  Seis leyendas de la mitología clásica adaptadas para niños. El problema es que el estilo se ha quedado bastante anticuado, y resulta bastante pesado de leer. Sólo se salvan un par de leyendas, la de Perseo y las gorgonas y la de Hércules y las manzanas doradas, y aún así algunas páginas me las leí en diagonal.
• 
  Haleigh DeRocher

  This book of myths is so cleverly framed that I found it refreshing and unique - so unlike other books of Greek myths you'll find. The story starts in Tanglewood with a group of children and a young man telling them stories. The stories he tells are retellings of some of the most well known Greek myths, but they're written in a way to make them seem more relevant to our modern time. It makes for a great introduction to Greek myths for kids, and I'll definitely be reading it with my children at some point.
• 
  Alyssa Bohon

  The Audible narration of this book by James Joy is enchanting. A perfect reader, so crisp, lucid, and engaging, it's hard to believe the book was meant to be read any other way. The children and I thoroughly enjoyed each story. Hawthorne's New England settings between tales are as delightful as his retellings of the classic myths.
• 
  Bobbiann Markle

  My 7-year-old and I enjoyed these tales. They are Greek myths.
• 
  Summer

  The boys loved the read-aloud. It was adventurous, fun and a great primer for the Greek myths with an American telling his version of the tales. I enjoyed it as well!
• 
  Rhys

  Recently I have been re-reading books that were important to me when I was young. I say "re-reading" but back then I rarely read them all the way through. I tended just to dip and skim. This time, decades later, I am reading them properly, from start to finish.
  
  Nathaniel Hawthorne's A Wonder Book was possibly my first introduction to the world of Classical Myth (I can't be entirely sure about this). I remember that the stories made a great impression on me. The myths are retold with skill and charm. Here are adventures involving Medusa, Midas, Pandora, Hercules, Quicksilver and Pegasus.
  
  There is a pleasing frame-tale that encompasses the six chosen retellings. The character of Eustace Bright, a student who is left in charge of a gathering of children at Tanglewood House, is nicely drawn. He is a dreamer, deluded as to his own prospects as a writer, but full of enthusiasm and sensitive to criticism but ultimately resilient enough not to remain crestfallen for long when the scholar Mr Pringle berates him for the style in which he retells these ancient stories.
  
  Of the six chosen myths, the most enjoyable is perhaps the last one, 'The Chimaera', in which the fight between the monster and the hero Bellepheron is rendered superbly. But all are enjoyable despite the fact they may now be too familiar to the modern reader (the outcomes are not at all unexpected).
  
  One of the best aspects of this book for me was a very metafictional touch at the end, in which it is revealed that Eustace Bright knows that he and the children are merely characters in a book penned by Hawthorne and he expresses anxiety that they should annoy the author to the point where the author would annihilate them all by throwing the unpublished manuscript on the fire.
  
  I am looking forward to the sequel, The Tanglewood Tales, which I obtained a couple of months ago.
• 
  Skedatt

  I loved it. My kids (4 - 9yrs) loved it--they kept begging me to read it for longer. It makes an excellent read-aloud for all ages of children, since the stories are short enough (there are six in the book that take about an hour to read) and reworked enough to be perfect for children. They are not Disneyfied (considering that Hawthorne predates Disney by a fair bit of time but you know what I mean), but the myths are enjoyably and appropriately told (as compared to dry and boring) with a nice side-dish of humor. For example, in describing Athena to Perseus, Hermes (known as Quicksilver here) says that
  
  "(She) has all the arts and sciences at her fingers' ends. In short, she is so immoderately wise that many people call her wisdom personified. But, to tell you the truth, she has hardly vivacity enough for my taste; and I think you would scarcely find her so pleasant a traveling companion as myself. She has her good points, nevertheless; and you will find the benefit of them, in your encounter with the Gorgons."
  
  To someone like me, who likes the way that language works and sounds, it is absolutely hilarious.
  
  Stories included are Perseus and Medusa, King Midas, Pandora (which lays the blame more equally upon both parties, I found that most interesting), Hercules and the Golden Apples, Philemon and Baucis, and Belleraphon and the Chimaera. There are little nuggets of wisdom in each of the tales but not overbearing at all.
  
  Apparently it continues in Tanglewood Tales. Looking forward to it!
  
  
• 
  مينا ساهر

  الكتاب إعادة لسرد العديد من الأساطير اليونانية .. مثل صندوق باندورا، رأس ميدوسا و هي الأساطير التي عرفنا عنها الكثير من سلسلة ما وراء الطبيعه منذ سنوات ...
  لم يقدم الكتاب جديداً سوى سلاسة الحكي مما يمتع لمن عرف و لمن لم يعرف تلك الأساطير
• 
  Rebecca

  I absolutely loved this. It is witty and clever and funny. Would love to read again. Loved the illustrations!
• 
  Joanna

  "For my part, I wish I had Pegasus here, at this moment," said the student. "I would mount him forthwith, and gallop about the country, within a circumference of a few miles, making literary calls on my brother-authors. Dr. Dewey would be within my reach, at the foot of Taconic. In Stockbridge, yonder, is Mr. James, conspicuous to all the world on his mountain-pile of history and romance. Longfellow, I believe, is not yet at the Ox-bow, else the winged horse would neigh at the sight of him. But, here in Lenox, I should find our most truthful novelist, who has made the scenery and life of Berkshire all her own. On the hither side of Pittsfield sits Herman Melville, shaping out the gigantic conception of his 'White Whale,' while the gigantic shape of Graylock looms upon him from his study-window. Another bound of my flying steed would bring me to the door of Holmes, whom I mention last, because Pegasus would certainly unseat me, the next minute, and claim the poet as his rider."
  "Have we not an author for our next neighbor?" asked Primrose. "That silent man, who lives in the old red house, near Tanglewood Avenue, and whom we sometimes meet, with two children at his side, in the woods or at the lake. I think I have heard of his having written a poem, or a romance, or an arithmetic, or a school-history, or some other kind of a book."
  "Hush, Primrose, hush!" exclaimed Eustace, in a thrilling whisper, and putting his finger on his lip. "Not a word about that man, even on a hill-top! If our babble were to reach his ears, and happen not to please him, he has but to fling a quire or two of paper into the stove, and you, Primrose, and I, and Periwinkle, Sweet Fern, Squash-Blossom, Blue Eye, Huckleberry, Clover, Cowslip, Plantain, Milkweed, Dandelion, and Buttercup,—yes, and wise Mr. Pringle, with his unfavorable criticisms on my legends, and poor Mrs. Pringle, too,—would all turn to smoke, and go whisking up the funnel! Our neighbor in the red house is a harmless sort of person enough, for aught I know, as concerns the rest of the world; but something whispers to me that he has a terrible power over ourselves, extending to nothing short of annihilation."
• 
  Ric

  This is going to be a weird one to rate for me, so I’m just going to put it at 3 stars and move on. I love Greek mythology and think this is a pretty good introduction for children, but there are a lot of things that were inexplicably left out. Like the fact that many of these characters were actually gods or their names at all. Athena in the story of Perseus wasn’t even named, and Hermes was called Quicksilver like he was in the X-Men. Obviously they were cleaned up because young children don’t necessarily need to know how demigods came about, but some of the other choices seem weird.
  
  Also, I didn’t love the interludes of someone literally telling the stories we were reading to their children, it seemed unnecessary to me but I do understand why others might like it. Personally though, I’d have liked for more mythology. Solid book for the age group, just maybe not others.
• 
  Diana

  Fun introduction to Greek Mythology
• 
  Erica Fitzgerald

  Great introduction to Greek myths for kids (and their mom, who was largely unfamiliar with them!). Looking forward to reading Tanglewood Tales next.
• 
  Emilia

  3.5
• 
  Honey & Anjali

  I've been fascinated by Greek mythology for a long time and have always wanted to get full exposure of the cultural and religious folk lores and tales but didn't know where to start. Needless to say, receiving this book was pure delight as I've heard a lot about Nathaniel Hawthorne before.
  
  This book is a perfect way to get in touch with the tales that are a huge part of the cultural aspect of Greece. Even though these are retelling, you don't necessarily have to know the original story to read them. The narrative is beautiful and easy to read through. I was familiar with a few stories like of Midas and Pegasus but it was still exciting to read them in a fresh perspective with more intricate details about the premise and depth of the characters.
  
  It was a perfect start for me and I really enjoyed it.
• 
  Megan Huxford

  This is one my kids never wanted me to stop reading. It was pretty easy to pick cliff-hangers to stop at, just to make sure they’d be excited to start again the next day. They couldn’t help but play Perseus and Bellerophon for hours afterwards.
• 
  Jacqueline

  I was a bit hesitant in starting this book, given my rather mixed-feelings on the only other Hawthorne book I'd read (The Scarlet Letter) and the numerous retellings of Greek myths I've already consumed.
  
  But, boy, am I glad I made the decision to read this delightful collection anyway!
  
  Yes, I've heard the stories of Midas, Pandora, Pegasus, and others countless times. But until now, I'd never had the pleasure of hearing them told so well with such strikingly vivid imagery that makes the already fantastical stories even more spellbinding than they already were. Hawthorne's rendering of the mythological characters as three-dimensional human beings is just as remarkable--especially given that (in most tellings) these characters are so often overshadowed by the fantastical things that happen to them.
  
  Some purists might object to the changes, additions, or omissions Hawthorne has made to the traditional tales. (Hercules' less-than-noble past is eliminated; the tale of King Midas is given a more definitive and satisfying ending) But the quality of Hawthorne's prose is so strong that it should silence all but the most vehement critics.
  
  My only caveat is that I could've done without the "frame story" of a group of children "hearing" the tales from an older neighbor--although this did create some amusing meta-fictional moments, where Hawthorne references his contemporaries Herman Melville and Washington Irving.
  
  All-in-all, a fantastic read!
  
  
• 
  Friend of Pixie

  These retellings of classic myths by Hawthorne didn't quite do it for us. We liked it at first, but then I realized I wasn't too keen on Hawthorne's changes to the myths and even though Logan reads many older books (e.g., E Nesbit, Kenneth Grahame, C.S. Lewis) the language in these stories was tedious for him. Turn of the century works for us, but 1850's seems too archaic for this 6-year-old. We kept meaning to go back to it, but I think we were both avoiding it. So I am officially abandoning it about 3 chapters in. The Arthur Rackham illustrations are beautiful though. I think that's probably why I bought it. I'm a sucker for Rackham.
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  Lmichelleb

  For someone who forgets what little she was taught of Greek myths, this was a delightful reintroduction. I was completely ignorant of the stories of Perseus and the Gorgon's head, the miraculous pitcher, and Hercules' three golden apples. The rest were only vaguely familar. But I realize how much the themes of these old stories come up in more modern storytelling. I am convinced of the deep importance of reading these myths!
  
  Hawthorne is a little too self-deprecating for me, and the introductions and conclusions tacked onto the myths seemed a bit odd, but I suppose they leant a bit of the charm to the overall magic of these great imaginings. I look forward to Tanglewood Tales!
• 
  Veena Soujanya

  Greek Myths by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a collection of 6 famous stories based on the myths and legends of Greek. These stories are narrated by Eustance Bright to a group of children who are his cousins. Keeping the legendary stories short and sweet the author presents the tales of "The Gorgon's Head", the tale of Medusa; "The Golden Touch", the story of Midas touch; "The Three Golden Apples", the narrative of Hercules and Atlas; "The Miraculous Pitcher", the fable of the pitcher which is always full and "The Chimaera", the legend of the winged horse, Pegasus. Easy to understand and straight to the point the stories are very interesting and entertaining.
• 
  Saphraneet

  In the preface, the author states "that many of the classical myths were capable of being rendered into very capital reading for children " and that "they are legitimate subjects for every age to clothe with its own garniture of manners and sentiment, and to imbue with its own morality." It is very evident that these are Victorian age imaginative retellings. Even though these stories are narrated by an invented college student in a magical place to children renamed with whimsical names, it is amazing to me that the language is rich and not dumbed down.