Tales from Ancient Greece

Grade 3-5-- Only the first of these stories (Persephone) is a myth; the other eight are hero tales (Bellerophon, Perseus, Theseus, Jason, Atalanta) and literary exempla (Midas, Daedalus, Pygmalion). The retellings are uninspired and relentlessly upbeat, omitting the tragic fates of Atalanta's suitors, of Ariadne, Meleager, and Medea. On the other hand, Icarus falls because he is thoughtless and anxious rather than headstrong and ambitious, so his death seems sadly unmerited. The pedestrian and nontragic text might be meant for younger readers, but the muscular youths and busty women in the illustrations have strayed in from a YA fantasy. There is no bibliography, and in the brief notes on the gods, satyrs are confused with centaurs. D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths (Doubleday, 1980), The Macmillan Book of Greek Gods and Heroes (1985), Mary Pope Osborne's Favorite Greek Myths (Scholastic, 1989), or the unillustrated but excellent Classic Myths to Read Aloud (Crown, 1989) by William F. Russell are far better choices .-Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, SeattleCopyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.