What do you think?
Rate this book
The Usborne Book of Legends
Collects legends about Ulysses, Hercules, and Jason, their lives and deeds.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1983
16 people want to read
About the author
Vivian Webb
3 booksVivian Webb is a published author and a narrator of children's books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 28, 2012
This was the book that as a kid that got me totally hooked on Greek mythology, and indeed mythology in general. Probably more than any other book this had a massive impact on my tastes and interests growing up. It also provided me with my first fictional crush in the shape of Ulysses (Odysseus - this book unfortunately adopts Roman naming for the heroes, though not the gods). As such I'm not even going to try to write an objective review here.
The book tells the stories of three legendary Greek heroes; Ulysses (Odysseus), Hercules (Heracles), and Jason. Each story is told in an almost comic book format - roughly 1-5 panels a page but no speach bubbles, the story is writen underneath each illustration in full continuous prose. This means that as well as the writing being simple and easy to understand for young reader's there's also lots of great visual imagery for younger children reading with their parents to interact with and appreciate. (My mum probably has a box somewhere of poorly rendered tracings and attempts to copy the more striking panels)
Although it's written for children it doesn't sanitise the stories any more than is really necessary - which is something I always appreciate when it comes to mythology. And as someone who sometimes handles show and tell of Egyptian and Roman objects in museums I can appreciate how hard it can be to get the balance right (hint: violence is ok, sex is not - make of that what you will). The circumstances of Hercales birth are rather glossed over, but the reason he had to do penance is not, nor is the lengths Medea will go to to for Jason. (On a sidenote how did that man think that shit wouldn't go down when he swapped her for a more politically advantageous wife? He almost deserved what he got for sheer stupidity).
After the end of each story ther's also a 'about the story' page which provides extra information on the characters, places, and mythology, as well as recomending other children's retellings of the same or similar stories (probably now out of print). It's a little simplistic but it served as a gateway into more serious Greek Mythology.
I realise this book is very old, probably quite dated, and out of print. But it was an absolute favourite growing up and deserves a bit of praise. It is single handedly down to this book that I eventually went on to do an A level in Classical Civilisations, considered doing Classics as my degree, and opted for several Ancient History modules when I eventually went down the History route instead. Although my opinions on the heroes have changed as I've read more 'original' greek and Roman works - I was so disapointed with Odysseus when I read Homer and lost a lot of respect for Jason when I read Euripides - my love for this book remains constant. The only book that arguably had anywhere near the same influence would be my picture book of King Arthur.
So though I don't expect anyone to go out and buy this book (if you even can anymore) I felt it deserved a review. And I am going to keep my Ribena stained, broken, spined, sticky paged copy and if I ever have kids (or if my sisters do) I will pass it on and hope that it inspires the same sort of passion for mythology in them too.
The book tells the stories of three legendary Greek heroes; Ulysses (Odysseus), Hercules (Heracles), and Jason. Each story is told in an almost comic book format - roughly 1-5 panels a page but no speach bubbles, the story is writen underneath each illustration in full continuous prose. This means that as well as the writing being simple and easy to understand for young reader's there's also lots of great visual imagery for younger children reading with their parents to interact with and appreciate. (My mum probably has a box somewhere of poorly rendered tracings and attempts to copy the more striking panels)
Although it's written for children it doesn't sanitise the stories any more than is really necessary - which is something I always appreciate when it comes to mythology. And as someone who sometimes handles show and tell of Egyptian and Roman objects in museums I can appreciate how hard it can be to get the balance right (hint: violence is ok, sex is not - make of that what you will). The circumstances of Hercales birth are rather glossed over, but the reason he had to do penance is not, nor is the lengths Medea will go to to for Jason. (On a sidenote how did that man think that shit wouldn't go down when he swapped her for a more politically advantageous wife? He almost deserved what he got for sheer stupidity).
After the end of each story ther's also a 'about the story' page which provides extra information on the characters, places, and mythology, as well as recomending other children's retellings of the same or similar stories (probably now out of print). It's a little simplistic but it served as a gateway into more serious Greek Mythology.
I realise this book is very old, probably quite dated, and out of print. But it was an absolute favourite growing up and deserves a bit of praise. It is single handedly down to this book that I eventually went on to do an A level in Classical Civilisations, considered doing Classics as my degree, and opted for several Ancient History modules when I eventually went down the History route instead. Although my opinions on the heroes have changed as I've read more 'original' greek and Roman works - I was so disapointed with Odysseus when I read Homer and lost a lot of respect for Jason when I read Euripides - my love for this book remains constant. The only book that arguably had anywhere near the same influence would be my picture book of King Arthur.
So though I don't expect anyone to go out and buy this book (if you even can anymore) I felt it deserved a review. And I am going to keep my Ribena stained, broken, spined, sticky paged copy and if I ever have kids (or if my sisters do) I will pass it on and hope that it inspires the same sort of passion for mythology in them too.
September 7, 2012
The Usborne Book of Legends is a Greek mythology covers the stories of Ulysses, Hercules and Jason. The book is split into three chapters respectively, with further sub chapters for each heroic tale.
The first chapter explores the many adventures of Ulysses. It begins with the tale of the 'Trojan Horse', where Ulysses and his men travel to Troy to rescue Princess Helen. On his way home he escapes from Cyclops, encounters magic spells from Poseidon, successfully passes the island of the enchanting Sirens, defeats Scylla the six headed monster. Finally after twenty years after leaving his home the island Ithaca, he is shipwrecked on the island and after many trials, reunited with his loving wife Penelope and son.
The second chapter recounts the tale of Hercules, the son of Zeus. The goddess Hera curses Hercules, resulting in him killing his family. He seeks forgiveness from the Gods by completing twelve tasks. Among these tasks he battles a lion, kills the nine headed monster, captures the stag with golden antlers and the giant wild boar. In the end the Gods are so pleased with Hercules that they invite him to Mount Olympus.
The final chapter is about Jason and the golden fleece. Jason must reclaim his throne of the island of Iolcos from his evil uncle Pelias who stole the throne. His uncle the Kings tells Jason that if he retrieves the golden fleece he can have his throne once again and be King of Iolcos. He encounters many trials and tribulations but ultimately finds the fleece and becomes King.
I read this book when I was nine or ten, it began my love affair with Greek mythology. It is filled with adventure, captivating and allows your mind to run wild. Although it is mythology, it is also historical as it explores ancient Greece. This was a solid childhood staple that I would reread.
It is a fantastic introduction to Greek mythology for a child. Although it can get slightly dark at times. The age range for this book is from eight to twelve, there is a fair amount of text, however each page is accompanied with detailed images so that a younger child can follow along. This book would be thoroughly enjoyable if read to a class or individually.
The first chapter explores the many adventures of Ulysses. It begins with the tale of the 'Trojan Horse', where Ulysses and his men travel to Troy to rescue Princess Helen. On his way home he escapes from Cyclops, encounters magic spells from Poseidon, successfully passes the island of the enchanting Sirens, defeats Scylla the six headed monster. Finally after twenty years after leaving his home the island Ithaca, he is shipwrecked on the island and after many trials, reunited with his loving wife Penelope and son.
The second chapter recounts the tale of Hercules, the son of Zeus. The goddess Hera curses Hercules, resulting in him killing his family. He seeks forgiveness from the Gods by completing twelve tasks. Among these tasks he battles a lion, kills the nine headed monster, captures the stag with golden antlers and the giant wild boar. In the end the Gods are so pleased with Hercules that they invite him to Mount Olympus.
The final chapter is about Jason and the golden fleece. Jason must reclaim his throne of the island of Iolcos from his evil uncle Pelias who stole the throne. His uncle the Kings tells Jason that if he retrieves the golden fleece he can have his throne once again and be King of Iolcos. He encounters many trials and tribulations but ultimately finds the fleece and becomes King.
I read this book when I was nine or ten, it began my love affair with Greek mythology. It is filled with adventure, captivating and allows your mind to run wild. Although it is mythology, it is also historical as it explores ancient Greece. This was a solid childhood staple that I would reread.
It is a fantastic introduction to Greek mythology for a child. Although it can get slightly dark at times. The age range for this book is from eight to twelve, there is a fair amount of text, however each page is accompanied with detailed images so that a younger child can follow along. This book would be thoroughly enjoyable if read to a class or individually.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews