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	• The Children's Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus and the Tale of Troy Padraic Colum Aladdin, 2004 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 27 reviews view larger image
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I still read it to my son (with plenty of translation and paraphrasing), and he still thoroughly enjoys the Homeric epic. But I think a more contemporary rendering would have been much better.

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Challenging children's version of Homer's classics

This book is a 1965 retelling of Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey meant for children. The language is sophisticated and old-fashioned, with complex sentence structure. The vocabulary, including names of people and places, is very difficult. The storylines are intricate and challenging to follow, especially when read intermittently. While these qualities may capture the spirit of the original story, they also make for difficult reading for children. Furthermore, the 250-page length will daunt most young readers. Scattered throughout the text are simple black and white full-page line drawings; each chapter also begins with a small, illustrated head. The illustrations are static, but recall the style of classical Greek figured vases. While classical Greek mythology can be popular subject with children, this retelling does not significantly simplify the story or the language for young readers. Even read aloud, the complicated story lines may be challenging to follow. For reading in school, the book would be greatly enhanced with a glossary, guide to pronunciation, annotations, and maps. For leisure reading, I would recommend this book only for highly motivated children and young adults.

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reviews: 1, 2, page 3, 4, 5, 6

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