As an introduction for kids, this is adequate, the tone is conversational and easy to understand, but it doesn’t have the stateliness of stories written for older times, which, to me, would seem more appropriate.
I did like the timeline at the end of the book, there was some good information in there. ( )

Donna Jo Napoli’s rendition of these myths were definitely some of the most clearly told I’ve encountered. She tells them beautifully and simply, and Christina Balit’s illustrations (as usual) transport me. I love reading these, and I’ll definitely be revisiting this book. ( )

This is a book for children about norse mythology. I picked it up by accident (because it was on sale, and I didn't see the category), and noticed two things: 1) yes, it was dumbed-down more than I'd want, and glossed over all the nuance and moral conflict in the various gods and myths but 2) it didn't do so that much more than a lot of the "adult" summaries of norse myth. It would be a pretty good introduction for an older (8-12yo) kid, although I think it should have at least hinted at the backstory behind a lot of the myths. ( )

American author Donna Jo Napoli and British illustrator Christina Balit, who have also produced volumes on ancient Egyptian and classical Greek mythology, as well as the stories of the Bible, and the Arabian Nights, here explore the world of Norse mythology. As with the two other mythological titles, Napoli begins with the creation of the world, discusses the division of the cosmos into levels, and the role of the great tree Yggdrasil in nurturing all. The conflicts between the Aesir gods, who lived in Asgard, and the Vanir gods, who lived in Vanaheim, are covered, as are the conflicts between the gods and the frost and fire giants. The adventures of Thor, the many depredations of the trickster Loki - these and other stories are all told. The narrative concludes with the great battle of Ragnarok, which ended the cosmos as they then existed, and ushered in a new era. The final section of the book includes a historical afterword, a timeline, a list of characters, a bibliography, and an index...

After greatly enjoying this team's Treasury of Egyptian Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Monsters & Mortals, only to find their Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters far less pleasing, due to the author's intrusive moralizing, I approached Treasury of Norse Mythology: Stories of Intrigue, Trickery, Love, and Revenge with a bit of trepidation, wondering whether it would prove a pleasure or a penance to read. Sadly, it proved to be the latter, and I ended up finding it the weakest of the three titles. In fact, my rating of Napoli & Balit's books has fallen consistently, from four stars for the Egyptian volume, to three stars for the Greek, to this, two stars for the Norse. Not only did Napoli's unfortunate habit of offering intrusive moral judgments on her characters continue here, but she also had a tendency to use a childish tone and vocabulary that felt unsuited to the stories she was telling. As I mentioned in my review of the Greek volume, it isn't necessarily the case that I disagree with Napoli's conclusions - yes, Thor was frequently self-important and unjust; yes, there is a cowardice to the Aesir slaying Loki's sons, in order to punish him - but I don't need the author to form those conclusions for me. The inclusion of this constant moralizing not only feels condescending to the reader, but it throws them out of the story, reminding them that they, like the narrator, are outsiders to the culture being depicted, standing in judgment of it. The use of slangy contemporary words - the mason being "googly-eyed" over Freyja, the fact that the thralls gave their children "yucky" names, the exclamation of "yikes, and double yikes" when Thor confronts the giant - felt completely off. The worst of these moments is the one in which the narrator informs us that "Yes, indeed, Heimdall was important. Majorly." This kind of Valley Girl-speak felt wildly incongruous to me, in a retelling of such ancient stories.

Leaving aside such textual and storytelling issues, I found that I was not, to my very great surprise, pleased with the artwork either. The entire reason I tracked down these volumes was my great love for Christian Balit's work, so this was quite a shock. Although these paintings use the same vibrant colors, gold accents and decorative borders as her others, the human figures were, atypically, quite ugly, something I found difficult to understand. As someone who admires the artist's style, this judgment is not based on a rejection of that style. I have enjoyed her work in every other one of her books that I have picked up. I think the trouble here is that Balit almost always depicts Middle Eastern and/or Mediterranean peoples in her work. Perhaps she wanted these northern European figures to look different? Whatever the case might be, the coloring and composition here was wildly off, and some of the facial features looked incongruous. While I didn't particularly enjoy the narrative in Treasure of Greek Mythology, I at least appreciated the visuals, whereas here, I didn't even have that.

In sum, this is not a collection I would recommend. Fellow Balit fans can do far better elsewhere, as can those readers seeking a children's overview of Norse mythology. I recommend the classic D'Aulaires' Norse Gods and Giants, recently republished as D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths, instead. ( )

This is a little treasure! A great introduction to the fascinating universe of Norse Mythology, written in simple, elegant language, and embellished with beautiful illustrations. An ideal gift to introduce the younger ones to the glory of the Norse gods and legends. ( )