Adventures of Achilles

by Hugh Lupton (Adapter), Daniel Morden, Carol Henaff (Illustrator)

Achilles is the son of a king and a goddess and also the best warrior in Greece. So when Prince Paris claims Helen from a Greek king and Troy declares war, everyone knows that Achilles will be vital to the Greek cause. With the help of the gods, can young Achilles lead his fellow countrymen to victory against the Trojans? Includes two full-length CDs narrated by the authors.

Genres: Childrens, Mythology, War, Graphic Novels, Literature

94 pages, Hardcover with CD

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

Hugh Lupton is a prominent figure in the tradition of oral storytelling.

Reviews

[Jonathan M. Eisenberg]

A wonderful, detailed retelling of The Illiad, aimed at children of maybe 2nd-grade level and above, but teens and adults probably would greatly enjoy this book, too. (Really!)

The story is obviously one of the greatest of all time. This version features poetic writing, and the book contains many beautiful, full-color illustrations.

My copy of the book (from my local library) also has two fun CDs of two of the book's authors reading the story in lovely British accents.

It should be noted that this retelling doesn't spare the gore that's in the original.

[Kevin]

I enjoyed this version of the Iliad. The illustrations are sort of hit or miss to be honest. In some ways they are well done while in others they seem a little abstract and basic. Not sure whether I like the overall effect or not.

I did like the story, however, and at times found it poetic even. It contains a decent amount of violence so parents will need to decide if it is appropriate for their child or not. School Library Journal says grades 6-8, FYI.

It is a powerful story of love, lust, violence, loyalty and the ugliness of war. The story captures the ancient elements but relates it in a way modern readers can understand. A nice way to introduce readers to Greek mythology and storytelling.

[Beth]

Renton Highlands Library, J Nonfiction, 398.20938

Strong retelling of the legend of Achilles, not skimping on the murder, sex, and rape although told in child appropriate language (Helen and Paris “sported” on all the islands on the way home). Wow would I not like to meet any of these heroes, even if they didn’t know I was a woman.

The illustrations seemed to have no sense of the grimness of the story, they seemed much lighter than the text.

[Josh]

This is a very well done adaptation of Homer’s Iliad. My 11, 8, and five-year-old found it accessible as a read aloud (although Dad made some on the spot editing for a few of the scenes ofquestionable Greek morality). I found it remarkable how well the language, including epic simile, felt like homer written for children. A great tool for teaching the classics to kids.

[Dianne Oliver]

Far more interesting than I had supposed, having not been raised on myths, though I have read Illiad and Odessey. As an "out of my box read", I appreciated that these simple, straightforward myths were written with great heart and care, and illustrated with a certain vibe.
Child proof? I guess I can see what their issue was, as even this version is not spared mayhem (ahem re: sex) and violence.

[Angela]

There have been many beautifully produced children's mythology books published recently. The coffee table book size is perfect for the artistic and entertaining illustrations. The text matches the art with its lyrical descriptive quality. The story lightens up the original but the content remains darker. I loved every bit of it.
As far as reading it to a class of 3rd graders, I had to amend some of the bloodier bits in the text.
Later, I read it to my 5th graders. They enjoyed it quite a lot though they seem to like The Odyssey more now that I’m reading it. I love to introduce mythology to children. I then assign Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and so many of them become more interested in reading.

[The Library Lady]

I have a mom who is homeschooling {sigh} and recently wanted Homeric materials for {sighs again} her first grader! And I suspect this is something she might take.

However, if she read enough of it she would discover that despite the big format with the handsome illustrations, there are lots of passages that are PG13 rated at the least that make this, like so much about mythology, more suited for my 13 or 17 year old than a young child. Offer this to older "Percy Jackson" fans, and Mary Pope Osborne's Odyssey novels to younger kids instead.

[JMM]

Nicely illustrated, with a clean look and some very good story-telling but unfortunately this book has a bit of an identity problem. Its content is, I think, far too sophisticated for the younger readers who might be attracted to its size, format and illustrations. Older children, I suspect, will pass it by. I generally like the offerings of Barefoot Books but think this one kind of missed the mark.

[Kifflie]

This is a retelling of the Iliad in brief chapters, with stylish artwork by Carole Henaff.

The story flowed smoothly enough, though this is pretty grim material for kids when you get down to it. Still, a mature reader with an interest in the classics may enjoy this.

[Sanjuro]

An excellent childrens rendition of the Iliad. I read it with my kids, and although some of the more mature themes were still present, they were made palpable and appropriate for older kids. The art was beautiful and the main features of the story were all intact.

[Nancy]

nice illustrations, two CDs come along with book (have not yet listened to them)