Greek Myths by Ann Turnbull


Greek Myths
Title : Greek Myths
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 0763651117
ISBN-10 : 9780763651114
Language : English
Format Type : Hardcover
Number of Pages : 167
Publication : First published October 1, 2010

A gorgeous collection of classic Greek myths welcomes readers of all ages into a legendary world of beauty, tragedy, and miracle.

Enter a world where anything is possible. A god might be a mountain or a shower of gold. A nymph may be a stream or an echo in the wind. The myths of ancient Greece are full of such wonders, as well as a host of courageous heroes, cunning heroines, and terrible monsters. Ann Turnbull’s compelling prose enlivens sixteen of the most celebrated myths, from the sadness of Persephone to the ill-fated love of Orpheus and Eurydice, from Pandora’s unlucky curiosity to the greed of King Midas to many more age-old tales filled with drama and romance. In vivid, expressive detail, Sarah Young’s fine-art illustrations bring this golden world to life, capturing creatures from Cerberus, the threeheaded dog, to the sinister snake-haired Medusa.


Greek Myths Reviews


  • Jonathan

    Read this with my 6 year old. Best book of Greek Myths for kids I have come across (and I have about 7 others on the shelves at home). The illustrations are fantastic, and her prose is way better than it has any need to be. The selections range from the obvious to the more obscure and interesting, and she does not shy away from the brutality and complexity of these stories.

    If you have kids, this one is highly recommended.

  • Nikki in Niagara

    Reason for Reading: I love mythology and I couldn't pass up a handsome volume like this.


    Ann Turnbull starts with a brief Introduction to her collection of Greek myths and one thing she mentions is that she has gone back to the ancient Greek versions of the myths for her adaptations thus bringing the reader as close as possible to the tales as the Greeks themselves told. This means some of the stories are a little different than the "usual" versions we read. I didn't notice much myself that was entirely out of place, but then I read a lot of Greek mythology. Most of the stories included were ones I had heard before with few exceptions, but these are not all just the most popular stories found in most children's collections. Yes we have the Minotaur, Medusa and King Midas. But there is also Orpheus and Eurydice, Phaethon, Bellerophon, Pan, Echo and Narcissus to name several. The tales are in-depth, without leaving out parts which again children's version's often do. For example Perseus's mission to collect Medusa's head includes the Graeae (Grey Sisters) having not just one eye but one tooth among them (why is the tooth left out of so many children's adaptations?) and on his return home it includes *both* his visit to Atlas holding up the world and his saving of Andromeda. The one story that was entirely new for me was King Midas. In this ancient version, there is no daughter and Midas simply changes his mind when he realizes he will starve to death and the god gives him a method to cure himself as he did intend to reward him not punish him. Then follows another story in which King Midas gives up his wealthy way of life and becomes a forest wandering follower of Pan (sort of a beatnik Midas) where he ends up being punished for offending a different god. This second story was entirely new to me!


    The artwork is absolutely stunning. This is a large "coffee table" size book and Sarah Young has done her multimedia paintings taking from the style of the ancient Greeks found on their pottery. I thought her figures were very similar to that style but in a full colour scheme, the bodies are flowing and lythe and yet sometimes she has heads turned front with bodies going forward (Egyptian style) and other somehow impossible body contortions which only slightly suggest some unnaturalness to them. I enjoy this depiction of the human body. Her use of colour is fantastic as well, generally it is very imposing in dark shades of brown, black, grey and musky tones of other colours but then come whimsical scenes that lighten up with purples and there is the sparing use of metallic gold used for the gods.

    The only problem I had with the book was that I was not completely taken with Ann Turnbull's voice. She does not seem to have a natural storyteller's voice and at times her paragraphs became a litany of names and telling without really engaging the reader's emotion into the story. I've read some better storytellers, Hugh Lupton, William F. Russell, Nathaniel Hawthorn, et.al., but I still otherwise give this volume credit for being a worthy addition to children's mythology collections.

  • Lisa Marie Walters

    I LEARNED SO MUCH FROM THIS BOOK!!

  • Beverly

    16 Greek myths divided into 3 sections: "The Underworld," "Monsters and Heroes," and "Gods and Mortals." The stories are retold in a very readable style, for about 5th grade and older; younger if they get help with all the Greek names. Sarah Young's accompanying stylized illustrations enhance the stories.

  • Daisy

    I went through a phase of reading lots of these Greek myth retellings, and this one has always been a favourite of mine. I still love the illustrations and think they're really unique and beautiful, but I have to admit on this reread I just didn't enjoy the writing as much as I did the first time around. As I always say with retellings like this, I feel since the stories are ones that have been told countless times before, the writing should be the thing that's special about it. But once again I find myself not very engaged in the plain, forgettable prose these stories are written in. Turnbull's writing is, I would say, more atmospheric and creative than most, but still falls into the 'good, but nothing special' category for me I'm afriad. I also don't think the selection of myths (no Jason and the Golden Fleece? That's like the most famous one!) nor the order they were placed in was all that logical. Still, I'm being quite harsh on this book when I've got enjoyment out of multiple times now and learned a lot that I know about the myths from this book. A well-presented, pleasurable read I would recommend if you're looking to get into Greek mythology, but there's probably better out there (or at least I hope so).

  • AMY

    167 pages. This one was well-written but has some naked illustrations, references to people and gods being "lovers" and in the story of Atalanta, she "made love in the temple" with Hippomenes. Also, the reference in the story of King Midas' to "asses ears" might cause a problem with ES students. Though it seems academically and research sound, I don't believe this book is appropriate for ES. I would recommend it for MS or HS only.

  • Rachel

    Illustrations are stunning, some "lesser" told myths, and the retellings are well done.

  • Victor

    A succinct and tastefully illustrated telling. Suitable for junior readers.

  • K

    This is an outstanding book of Greek mythology for young people. I grew up with the D'Aulaire's book and I am attached to that one because of nostalgia. But Turnbull and Young's version is far and away the better book.

    Turnbull shares in the introduction about how she researched and strove to be faithful to the earlier written records of these myths.

    But her retellings are not dry at all. Each one is long enough to feel like a full story - inviting you in. She describes things beautifully and helps the reader recognize some complex emotions in the characters. I've seen other collections of Greek myths that almost feel like a series of outlines - just a barebones list of the main events. This book is not like that at all.

    Turnbull also manages to weave the stories into each other in a way that deepens each myth - without requiring the reader to read all the previous myths in the collection to understand one. Her ordering and organization flows very well.

    Turnbull highlights the experiences and stories of the women (mortals and nymphs) without trying to rewrite the stories in a way that isn't faithful to the depictions long ago. The women are not lost in this book: they have a significant place. But their stories are not distorted either.

    And Sarah Young's illustrations are gorgeous. They add elements and feelings that aren't in the text by itself. There are many details hidden in the illustrations that made my child and I want to return to them and really appreciate every little bit.

    I highly recommend this book to any people who teach and/or care for children and tweens. It could also appeal to adolescents. (I'm an adult and I definitely enjoyed it!)

  • Amelia G

    all the art in the louvre could not compare to the feeling of being a child on a lazy summer afternoon lying on your couch and flipping the pages of this book between stories, having the sunlight ingraining it into your subconscious for years until you take a different copy off a shelf in a different library as a different person, and the pages have kept the memories like the pressed flowers you stuck between encyclopedia pages last spring, three springs ago, blooming in the dry pages and you remember the feeling of childhood of believing anything and wanting to know everything without limits and without fear, and for a moment, the world is unfolded again like the worn spine of this book with the binding string showing and falling apart and happy. a thousand and some miles away, behind hard glass, mona lisa of the sorrowed smile and smiling sorrow gazes out and knows she will never be loved in the way that matters, the way this book has been

  • MBC

    The illustrations are the star of this collection of myths. I couldn't love them more (even the gory ones). My 3, 5, and 7-year-old ask for stories from this book every night, and I'm happy to have an introduction to these ancient stories that treats them as beautiful, classic tales instead of unbelievable cartoons (which we've found with some collections of myths for children).

  • nadskymgrace

    WOW! is all I have to say I've always been into mythology and this was insightful for me and got straight to the point I feel like I know more about the gods and monsters and goddesses and some stuff that I recognised from the series of Percy Jackson ( haven't watched it yet as I want to read the series first but I've been seeing some scenes ) but loved this so much <3

  • Phoebe

    Gorgeous illustrations. The writing was only so-so and the content was quite gory and grisly, even compared to other retellings of Greek myths. Contrary to what other reviewers have stated, I did not think this was a great pick for kids (I read it to my twin 9 year olds).

  • Blaire

    i love this book! i remember reading it in 5th and 6th grade multiple times and thinking the illustrations were amazing. it was one of the first books i’ve ever read about greek mythology.

  • Audry

    Beautiful.

  • Midya Kasim

    The illustrations in the book are very beautiful and detailed. I was fascinated with the quality of the prints, and I learnt a lot from reading this book. I highly recommend it!

  • Oscar

    Just an excellent translation/collection.

  • Chelsea K.

    Wow! First of all, this is simply a collection of Greek myths -- not elaborate retellings or reimaginings like any number of other modern books about Greek myths. Turnbull has gone through the sources to deliver us a small slice of stories in their earliest told forms. (As she explains in the prologue, many myths underwent changes through time, but she sticks to the original versions, making Pandora's "box" a "jar" instead, etc.)

    They're written in a very simple, yet elegant prose, that would make them palatable and interesting to all ages. Though advertised as a children's book, there is no "dumbing down" of the prose to make it simpler. I listened to this on audio, so I can't speak to the illustrations in the printed version, but the man who read the audiobook was a great narrator.

    One of the most interesting parts of this book was how she interweaved widely known myths -- Persephone and Hades, King Midas' gold, Echo and Narcissus -- with myths I only knew of very vaguely, or not at all -- Phaethon driving the sun chariot, Bellerophon and Pegasus, and my absolute favorite character in the collection, the woman-who-breaks-every-gender-stereotype Atalanta.

  • Petra

    Goodreads Giveaway Win.
    A delightful book for all ages, school-age and upwards. The Myths are clearly laid out and interestingly told. The art work is expressive and well blended with the story and book layout.
    For the younger set who can't read well yet or perhaps can't read at all yet, it's a wonderful book for parents to read along with or to children. The illustrations are interesting and pertinent to the story being told and will delight the kids.
    For those children who can read well enough (roughly 9-10 or so, I'm guessing), these myths are a delight to read on one's own. They are well laid out, told clearly and with suspense, love and revenge. The pictures would enhance the child's enjoyment of this book.
    For adults, the myths are interesting, cute and delightful. There were many that I hadn't heard of before, such as the myth of Atalanta, Arachne and Narcissus. There were other myths where the details were filled in for me, such as Pandora and Persephone.
    A really well put together book of myths and artwork for children that adults can enjoy along with them.

  • Barbara

    This is a gorgeous book--artistically beautiful so it's visually appealing--but Turnbull also retells the familiar myths in a way that makes the characters seem both familiar and yet new. Her elegant writing pulled me into the stories from the opening pages. Her use of language breathes life into myths that are falling from the base of knowledge for many of today's students. Because there are so many literary references that have a base in myths, legends, and fairy tales--references that go completely over the heads of many students because they aren't familiar with these stories, I am always excited to read books like this one.

  • Bruce

    This is a fresh retelling of stories from classical Greek mythology, using early versions of the myths. Trumbull tells, “a mixture of nature myths, hero tales, and stories of the struggles between gods and mortals. Instead of the usual arrangement that groups all the stories about a single character together, Turnbull’s lyric prose glides smoothly from tale to tale based on links within the stories themselves. Young’s gracefully stylized illustrations that alternate between muted warm and cool palettes perfectly complement the text.

  • Michael Curtis

    Another read aloud with my boys selection. The art work is beautiful with a lot of delicate transparent colors, lines that remind me of Cocteau's mythic drawings. These retellings are well written and were a pleasure to read aloud. The selection of tales seems to focus on love and nature: Echo, Syrinx, Arethusa, etc. Which was a new and welcome perspective for me, as I mostly remember the heroic and monster tales from my own childhood reading.

  • Lilybeth

    I really enjoyed reading this book.

    Some myths I'd never heard of before and it was nice to revisit familiar tales.

    The artwork is absolutely beautiful.
    I loved taking the time to observe the intricacies of the illustrations.

    My favorites:
    Orpheus and Eurydice
    Ariadne on Naxos
    Arachne
    Echo and Narcissus

  • Donalyn

    Gorgeous, dark illustrations with splashes of color and gold bring elegance and mystery to this collection of classic Greek myths. Turnbull presents a marvelous entry point to children approaching these tales for the first time or those revisiting these timeless stories.

  • Angela

    This collection of retold Greek Myths contains wonderfully rendered illustrations. Containing well-known and less-known stories, it keeps one's entertained. It's great to read to children or just to yourself.

  • Melissa Walcott

    I'm a great lover of Greek Mythology and find myself completely immersed whenever I find myself reading one. This edition is beautiful with the artwork and I felt myself falling in love with Greek Myths all over again.