My kids are currently fascinated by Greek mythology. Both Sprinter and Sunshine… and they have their own favourites. Sprinter is into A Child’s Introduction to Greek Mythology by Heather Alexander, and Sophie is into a brilliant series of books for toddlers authored by Joan Holub (more in my next post).

A lovely hardcover book that caught my eye at a bookshop... I was just drawn to it too and knew my son would be too!
A lovely hardcover book that caught my eye at a bookshop… I was just drawn to it too and knew my son would be too!


There’s something about Greek mythology that continues to fascinate all of us. I had no doubt Sprinter will one day be captivated by the stories… I didn’t expect it to come so soon. We were at a storytelling session when someone made a quick mention of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. The storytelling session was not about Greek mythology… but Orpheus and Eurydice were referenced at the session. Sprinter was so entranced by this story that he said “Mama, can you buy me this book?” I couldn’t help but smile. I usually get toy requests… so this is a first *wink*. Well, what do you know, Mama has just the book for him. I recall spotting this book at a local bookstore some 2 years back and was pretty impressed by it. I had bought it then in anticipation of moments like this (and back then I thought boys wouldn’t appreciate mythology until they enter school. Wrong!) So I was pretty excited that night to introduce him to this different world of stories.

This book comes with a Greek Mythology family tree poster and stickers!
This book comes with a Greek Mythology family tree poster and stickers!

This book is a wonderful addition to our library. Sprinter loves the book. Bingo! It does a wonderful job introducing us to the basic stories and characters. I found the stories to be of just the right length for Sprinter. The story pacing is good so it engages the child throughout. The stories include good details without the risk of making them sound long winded or ‘draggy’. They have simplified the complex stories just enough for children from 6 to 10 to enjoy. Full of colour illustrations, it makes the book more appealing to the reader as well.

myths 5

The book is organized into two sections. First half of the book introduces you to the different gods and goddesses and other characters such as Hercules, Midas and Athena (See picture above). The second half is full of well-known myths : Pandora’s Box, the Trojan Horse (Sprinter especially liked this story) and many more.

We’ve been reading a story from the book every now and then and are left with just a few more stories to go. So I’ve purchased another one titled Tales from the Odessey by Mary Pope Osborne (Magic Tree House series). We can’t wait to check it out when it arrives in our mail but for now Sprinter is definitely captivated by the stories in this beautifully illustrated book. I can see he’s all eyes and ears when I read the stories but hmm… I have not quite seen a burning desire yet on his part to take this interest further. I am still in search for that ‘right’ book that will catapult him into the world of reading. 🙂 Yes, I believe there is a book out there for every child that will hook him/her and ignite the passion for reading. (more on my thoughts another time.) In the meantime, I’ll just enjoy the reading bonding time with my sweet little one. 🙂