The Odyssey

by Homer, Alan Baker (Illustrator), Robin Lister (Translator)

A retelling of Homer's epic that describes the wanderings of Odysseus after the fall of Troy.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Greek Mythology, Middle Grade, School

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Homer (Greek: Όμηρος born c. 8th century BC) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.

French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.

Reviews

[Pollyor]

A great introduction to the Odyssey for older elementary/middle school level. (For young readers my favorite books are Mary Pope Osborne's "Tales From the Odyssey")

[Anna]

A really great read for the kids and I. We really jumped into it on our vacation and they would regularly ask for more than I was initially going to read. A few flying edits for content, but all-in-all a great, easy read for a range of ages.

[Veronica Micallef]

This took me a few days to finish, but honestly could have taken me less! It’s such an easy, quick and fun read filled with illustrations and short summarised explanations of Homer’s lengthy tales of the travels, battles and encounters exhibited in the original work - which I had read bits and pieces of. This was the perfect revision for the general plotline and story of the Odyssey but i can’t help but want more details and explanations. That may be asking for much. Very glad I got my paws on this book at a fair and would recommend this for anyone who isn’t too keen on detail or familiar with Homer or greek mythology / history. It would entertain surely anyone!

[goatsong]

i personally enjoyed it as someone trying to get back into reading; easily digestible, short, but still very engaging and seems to get most major plot points across comprehensively. i'd recommend it for anyone wondering if the odyssey is really worth all the hype, and looking to dip their toes in the water.

[Anne]

Excellent children's version which covers this classic in an easy prose style. Has all the plot points with just the right amount of danger, passion and horror to woo any young person to the classics. Could have done with some exploration of the more philosophical ideas such as hubris, what it means to be a leader, definition of home etc. Though this would have made it much longer.

[Shai Montalvão]

3.5
Essas versões reduzidas são muito legais se você quer ter o panorama geral da história, mas senti falta de tudo o que faz essa obra tão rica e tão cativante. Funciona, mas faltou "Homero" no texto.

[yoana ♡]

Wow! I loved this classic! It was so adventurous and emotional! It’s an incredible collection of stories, I loved it from the beginning till the end! Also, the illustrations in my copy (retold by Robin Lister and illustrated by Alan Baker) were marvelous!

[Pippa]

Not the most amazing translation I’ve read, but simple and easily accessible for readers wanting to try the classics for the first time. Not exactly a groundbreaking book, and was a bit of a struggle to read for me.

[Sasha]

My students got a kick out of this story, though a few (myself included) felt that it was very obviously written by a man (who else would legitimize cheating as divinely required?) I don't like how little we see remorse from any character, but it is a great introduction to the classic story.

[Willow Daymond]

Good to have an understanding of the story before diving into the original version.
Loved the illustrations
Loved loved the story

[Kacey Shalala]

This is more of a 3.5 but it is just a lovely little YA retelling of the odyssey. Exactly what I needed today and I read it in one sitting

[rori jessica]

honestly a really lame translation. it doesn't read or flow well and i found myself really struggling to finish it despite how short and simplified it all is.. the film will be fire tho

[Peter Brignull]

An easy to read adaption of the classic

[Fra]

Carina come versione, ma per certi errori di scrittura non penso la darei in mano ai miei bambini, mi dispiace.

[Robin PHC]

It was a good read for a grade school. It was a quick read and would keep the reader interested.

[Tyler Klassen]

Did this as a read aloud with my 7’s. It’s ok, but a bit clunky. It helps if you read Odysseus in a Captain Kirk/Zap Branagan voice.

[Andrea Renfrow]

I loved reading this out loud after reading Black Ships Before Troy as an introduction to the stories of Homer for our ancient history study. Neither are a sit and read in one sitting picture book, but rather a kid friendly chapter book printed in picture book size to accommodate large sweeping illustrations. We read one chapter a day until completion as part of our first cycle of homeschooling on a Classical Education mixed with some Charlotte Mason ideals style. Kiddo is five and she was riveted. Because of Sutcliffe's Black Ships Before Troy and Robin Lister's The Odyssey being so wonderful, we sought out In Search of a Homeland by Penelope Lively (a retelling of The Aeneid by Virgil, which is sort of a part three to the Trojan War epic poems), but we aren't loving it nearly as much.

[Susan Thompson]

When Hoa recommended this book after reading it to her kids, I was a little skeptical, but thought we'd give it a try as a family read aloud. As it turns out, it was a great read! The boys had no problem following the story and really got into the whole adventure. They kept asking us to read it to them and also spent quite a bit of time paging through the book and analyzing the pictures. A great introduction to the ancient Greek epic poem. (Just a side note: we did a little on the spot editing as we read when some of the battle scenes got really gruesome.)

[Becky Moore]

I'm a huge fan of mythology, and during my years as a senior touring docent with the NCMA specialized in ancient civilizations (Greek, Roman, Egyptian). The Odyssey has long been one of my favorite stories, the long journey of Odysseus as he tries to return home after the long Trojan War. My son read this version for a book report, and I read along with him. This Kingfisher edition does the classic proud.

[Friend of Pixie]

Why: Hoa and Susan each read it to their 3 kids (ages 4ish-8ish) and it was well-received. Susan said she edited out a few more gruesome battle details, but that everyone was able too follow the stories.

[Denise Montague]

This is an brilliantly adapted version for children. Our homeschooled children loved it! While there are battles described, they aren't as gruesome as other versions out there. Our kids wanted to read the story again after finishing it.

[Touny]

The Odyssey was a good book overall. Throughout the book Odysseus combines a mixture of his intelligence and strength in the many violent and unfortunate events for him; with a mixture of sadness.