Greek Myths: Tales of Passion, Heroism, and Betrayal

A very solid introduction for youngsters into the weird and wonderful world of ancient mythologies. Unlike some, I do not personally believe that the ancient mysteries were superior in any way to the love of Christ. I do enjoy the stories and morals of the stories though. Brett Pedersen

This is a great book. The myths contained reminded me of those learned at school - they are timeless stories and were engaging to read again. Some of them especially have a darker side to them, which adds to the intrigue. The 'exploring further' section gives further information on classical texts and information sources, which seemed helpful, and gave some indication of the thorough nature of the telling of the stories. There's also a great map, which helps you find your way around the ancient world. It's a quick read, in a light style; highly recommended.

Shoshanna Kirk has put together 25 Greek myths and organized them by 12 themes, from "Cunning" and "Desire" to "Heroism". For instance, she puts the story of Narcissus and Echo in the "Vanity" theme which ends hauntingly with "Let us join, let us join, let us join ... Narcissus, captivated by his own gaze, died, diving into himself." This is a small book in many ways, it is short, and written in a small font. The introductory material is in such tiny print as to be barely readable. Tinou Le Joly Senoville provides fitting illustrations for each story and by themselves provide reason for looking at this book. It also has a useful, short, glossary, and a succinct essay on delving further into Greek mythology.