The Usborne Illustrated Guide to Greek Myths and Legends – by Cheryl Evans. A little hard to find, but very accessible, with high-interest illustrations. Rick Riordan

A very good description of the Greek gods and goddesses with short stories about them. Good illustrations ( )

Summary
This is detailed book full of vivid illustrations and ancient Greek story tales that depict Gods and Goddesses during ancient times. Every couple of pages are labeled with a certain category such as "Love" or "War," and then numerous stories related to that subject are tied together. The very end of the book is full of a glossary with terms and names incorporated into the story to help the reader understand the history behind the myths and legends.

Personal Reaction
I am a huge fan of ancient Greek and Roman mythology. It excited me to see a book that children can pick up and understand because then it will hopefully spark the children's interest in mythology as well. I also love the idea of books with more advanced words and names having a glossary or an index in them. It really helps a reader of any age follow the history and story more accurately.

Extension Ideas
1) This book would be a great way to introduce an entire Greek mythology unit in the classroom. There are a lot of people that do not see a difference in the Greek and Roman legends, so I would have the class help me make a diagram to show the differences and similarities between the two so it could be posted in the classroom for the rest of the unit.
2) I would also assign different Gods and Goddesses to the boys and girls in the class, and then have them write a report that they would be able to later present to the entire class. ( )

A good book for children to learn about the Greek myths and legends

This book is about Greek myths and legends. It explains the origin and history of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and monsters. One of the stories in this book is about Oedipus. He was the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta. The Oracle tells Oedipus he will kill his father and marry his mother. Laius takes his son on a mountain to die so the Oracle’s prophecy would not come true. A shepherd finds Oedipus and raises him. Oedipus thinks that they are his parents, but when he learns about the prophecy he runs away. On the way, he comes across a man and kills him after an argument. He does not know that the man he killed is his father, King Laius. Near Thebes, he meets the beast, Sphinx, then answers the riddle that no one could answered in the past. The Thebans make Oedipus their king since their king is dead. He marries the king’s wife, Jocasta. One day a plague strikes Thebes and the Oracle says that only way to cure the plaque is to avenge Laius’ death. Oedipus curses the murderer not knowing that he is the one. A seer reveals the truth, that the prophecy had been fulfilled, Jocasta hangs herself in shame; Oedipus blinds himself with Jocasta’s pin and leaves Thebes with his daughter, who is also his sister. He dies later near Athens.
The moral of this myth is that one’s destiny is decided by gods and could not be changed. ( )