The Illiad for Boys and Girls, Illustrated

by Alfred J. Church

Vigorous retelling of Homer's Iliad, relating the incidents of the great siege of Troy, from the quarrel of the chiefs to the ransoming of Hector's body.

Genres: Classics, Childrens, Fiction, Mythology, Ancient, Literature, Fantasy

126 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1891

About the author

Alfred John Church (1829-1912) was an English classical scholar. He was born in London and was educated at King's College London, and Lincoln College, Oxford, he took holy orders and was an assistant-master at Merchant Taylors' School for many years. From 1880 until 1888 he was professor of Latin at University College, London. While at University College in partnership with William Jackson Brodribb, he translated Tacitus and edited Pliny's Letters (Epistulae). Church also wrote a number of stories in English re-telling of classical tales and legends for young people (Stories from Virgil, Stories from Homer, etc. ). He also wrote much Latin and English verse, and in 1908 published his Memories of Men and Books. Other works include: Stories of the Magicians (1887), The Count of the Saxon Shore; or, The Villa in Vectis (with Ruth Putnam) (1888), Heroes of Chivalry and Romance (1898), Stories of Charlemagne (1902), The Crown of Pine (1906) and With the King at Oxford (1909).

Reviews

[Nelleke Plouffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent version of the Iliad for children. Somehow it retains the “feel” of the whole story, making it accessible but not dumbed down. I read it aloud to my 11, 9 and 7-year-old boys.

[Luann · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent version for children and young adults.

[Brit Chhangur · Rating 5 out of 5]

AO year 6 pre-read, but kindof tempted to make it a read-aloud for everybody. Beautifully written!

Ended up reading it aloud to A and C, and they loved it.

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

AO Y6. I thought this was a very well written children's edition of The Iliad. We had great conversations on which side was the good vs. the bad and by the end, we weren't sure.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a simplified version of the Illiad. It was very true to the original, including the descriptions of just exactly how arrows and swords entered a victim's body, and how the victim ultimately died. Not my favorite part of the Illiad. The original is of course better but for anyone unfamiliar with the story this is a much easier way to get to know the story. My first time reading the original, I was very confused by all the characters and the different ways of referring to the Greeks and Trojans. This simplified version eliminates all the confusing language and just tells the story. It wasn't terribly engaging but I think part of that is that I've read the original. I recommend this to any older child, youth or adult who wants to read the Illiad - read this first.

[Jonathan Widell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great prose version for juvenile audience e from the turn of the century (late 19th century). Even if it is prose, the account is marked by archaisms (thou, thee). It also preserves some of the most striking similes from the poem. it adds the background story and a short explanation of the fall of Troy, which are not in the poem. One feels elated having completed the book. I would not discount the possibility that it has had an impact on me that I cannot fathom.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading homer's iliad and i was having trouble understanding it, so i turned to this version modernized for young people. it made the story much more enjoyable and relateable. however its a bit like reading the movie instead of the book. I'm still trying to work my way through the original, and will continue to do so. I recomend this version if you are simply curious about the epic poem.

[Aisley Faust]

The Iliad and Odyssey are some of the two most timeless classical stories. They will always be recognized as books of high value and must reads. They are books of a high moral standing and have all the dignity and elevated literary value of the much loved classics. I really enjoyed broadening my vocabulary and learning more of the culture and history of the Greeks throughout this educational story.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

It was exciting to read about the adventures. I liked it all, I didn't dislike anything. I loved the pictures, I wish there were more. I also liked the Odessey.

Rowan age 6

[Reagan Vernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A meaty edition. While some of the narrative has been trimmed down, what is left is a tremendous version of the Iliad. The prose is not watered down. If you are wanting to get yourself up to speed with the Iliad, this is a great edition to start with.

[Stefani · Rating 4 out of 5]

We listened to the LibriVox audio version, but I think this a pretty good abridgment.

[حوريه · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the iliad so many times and in many languages to understand the iliad in many aspects..

[Željko Filipin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marketed "for Boys and Girls", it's a great introduction to The Iliad. I look forward to reading the real thing. In translation. 😅

[Ailie Baumann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know what the Iliad is about now, but I did have to constantly refer to a list of characters to keep Agamemnon, Hecuba, Menelaus, Athena, Priam, etc straight. :)

[Anna Mock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't put a date on this the first time I read it (which would have been in 2021?) So hopefully Goodreads still gives me credit for reading this twice.

This book is a little tricky to start - as a read aloud for children - but my 10 year old had zero problems getting into the book and really understanding what was going on. I checked with him every once in a while to make sure he was getting it, and he was following right along. It's a great story. It's so different from stories nowadays, right? No good guy, no bad guy. You want to root for the heroes from BOTH sides. They all have honor and they all have flaws. It's just an interesting story that even children can enjoy (lots of gore, I know), and I'm glad that this telling exists to help children realize that ancient, classic literature is not inaccessible, and that it's classic for a reason.

[Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very good. I really liked all of the details in this book. I liked how Homer described the story of the war. I son't think that there could be a better person to wright the story. I like all of the characters and how they acted, and fought, and how brave they were. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. I thought it should have ended better. The ending was Hector died and then he was just liek then the Greeks took over Troy the end. It wasn't a good ending at all.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this book a 5 out of 5 because this book was really good. There is a lot of detail in the book and there is a lot of fighting and I really like mythology. I really like fighting books which this is and it very interesting how it has many characters that all have different personalities. I can't wait to read the Odyssey. But I didn't like how at the end how it tell the whole fall of Troy.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting because the setting was in the middle of the Trojan war.I did not like that the story only talked about two weeks of the war. I might like it better if the story covered more of the war. I also like how Homer talked about how men died and the weapons that were used. I would recommend this book to anyone.

[Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. It was action packed, and I like that. It also was informative. By informative I mean It helped me understand how people of ancient time lived. Even though the story was fake it had parts of it that were probably real. Homer did a great job making it up, and Church did a great job writing it. great book in my opinion.

[April Bumgardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic version, easily accesible to my 14 year old, yet true to both form and story. Written in prose, it still retains the epic language. A very enjoyable way to experience Homer’s classic, the beginning of Western literature.

[Gwendolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A charming retelling of the Illiad. It seems to keep all the major plot elements. I "read" this as a Librivox recording.

[Leonie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A much easier way to break myself into The Iliad though I'm still getting some of the Greeks and Trojans mixed up!

[Tony Derricott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this was the children's version I still had a hard time following it. Granted I listened to it on the exercise bike over a period of days.

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warm, avuncular tone. Not a bad cheater or refresher book for an under-read or forgetful adult, either.

[Megan Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Option for Tweens!

Josiah loved it! It was a wonderful introduction to Homer and complemented our Greek unit perfectly. He also loved The Aeniad for Children.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this with My 10 year old for school. A good way to get the more complex story of the Iliad without the difficult prose.

[Jessica✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could not find Alfred Church's entire book of The Iliad and The Odyssey. So, I only read half :/