The Usborne Illustrated Odyssey

by Anna Milbourne (Retold By)

“In this new edition of The Odyssey, Homer’s classic tale has been vividly retold to delight modern readers. Dramatic illustrations bring to life Odysseus’s encounters at sea, complete with furious gods, bewitching goddesses, terrifying monsters and a man-eating Cyclops.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade

255 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016

About the author

Growing up in North West England and in Germany, Anna wrote plays about talking animals, and stories about naughty children, and drew on every available surface. After school, she did an Art Foundation course, then a degree in German Literature & Philosophy at Oxford University. In 1998 she found her perfect job at Usborne in London, writing about everything from curious penguins to trips to the Moon. Usborne.com

Reviews

[Shannen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In fairness, I have not read any other version of The Odyssey, but this was very well done. The pictures really pulled my kids in and the writing was easy enough yet interesting that they kept wanting me to read more.

[Christina (Confessions of a Book Addict) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this with my oldest son. He loves all things mythology, so I thought it would be entertaining for him to be introduced to Odysseus's tale. He loved the epic journey, the monsters, and the Gods/Goddesses. I forgot how great and timeless this story is. This edition has been translated for children and includes some great illustrations that truly bring the story to life.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! All the kids loved it.

[Anoushka · Rating 5 out of 5]

The format of the book was Greek, and about Odysseus and how he over came a lot of obstacles to meet with his family yet after the troy war. This is a very detailed novel like you can just IMAGINE what had happened after the troy war. Odysseus had been through many ship-wrecks and worked with a few non-trust-worthy lad's as they call it. As a goddess pit's him because he is a hero and a handsome one, she captures him humbly and nurses him for 7 years. Finally when the book SEEMS to give you a feeling of triumph, it has many turning points and tricks up it's sleeves.

MUST READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Danni Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating and review from my tiny humans:

Son (6): I really liked the monsters and danger, like syclla, the cyclops, and Poseidon

Daughter (7): I loved the adventure and exciting stories!

Both wanted to give it 5 stars ⭐

[ETS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it.

I really like this book you should read it. It's the best book I've ever read. Even if it cost a lot you should like it when you read it. It's about some scary, happy, sad, tricky things. I really recommend you read it.

[Keena · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son and I LOVED this kid-friendly version of The Odyssey! Our family is currently obsessed with EPIC the Musical, and this book was a perfect way for us to read the story without reading the entire Odyssey by Homer.

We loved the colorful photos and the flow of the story. We laughed and we cried! Absolutely would recommend for a buddy read with your child!

[Rachel G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect 2025 to be the year I got into Greek mythology, but here we are! I became obsessed with the musicals Hadestown and EPIC this past spring (thanks @annakberns and @jraewel for the recs!) which led to me reading Emily Wilson’s translation of “The Odyssey”. This was my first time reading any version, so I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but I enjoyed her translation. It was written in verse and very readable. The introduction was long but very helpful for context.
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Over the summer my kids and I started listening to the Greeking Out podcast on car rides to and from all the things, and we also just finished the Usborne illustrated version of “The Odyssey” as a family read aloud. Greek myths are not exactly kid-friendly in their original form, but we have enjoyed these versions of the stories as a family.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somebody bought this for my 1 year old baby and there's a few years until he's ready to enjoy it so I thought I'd read it! It's actually pretty nostalgic reading illustrated kids books and this was a great way for me to get familiar with the Odyssey story without having to actually read the translation of Homer (I tried the Iliad and DNFd it)

The illustrations are awesome and there's a cool section at the back going over all the characters, gods and locations.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 5-year-old and I really enjoyed reading this together. The story is abridged, but it remains compelling and dramatic, keeping us both engaged throughout. The illustrations are more functional than beautiful, but since this isn’t meant to be a picture book, that didn’t detract from the experience. Overall, this is a rich and engaging retelling of the Odyssey. It captures the essence of the epic without ever feeling like a dry checklist of events, as some abridgments do.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I haven't read any other version of the Odyssey, but being familiar with the story, I thought this was remarkably well done. The illustrations are a nice touch. My husband and I took turns reading this to our kids, who thoroughly enjoyed it. It's not gory, but there are an awful lot of people who die, so fair warning to the sensitive crowd.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 8 year old, who LOVES Greek mythology, thoroughly loved this (her first Odyssey read!).
The pictures were pretty and not too scary or overly detailed (nor nightmare fuel for bedtime reading!), she enjoyed following along on the map, and the story was (of course) engaging! A great read for any budding Greek lover!

[Millie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok yes this is a children’s book but it’s such an accessible retelling of the Odyssey and packs Odysseus’s whole journey in really well. This book was very entertaining and informative and would be great if wanting to quickly learn about Homer’s story of The Odyssey. Loved the little illustrations too!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this version of the Odyssey. It has great illustrations, and it was engaging for my kids as well (4, 7, & 9 years old). It's been a long time since I read the original, but this version made me want to read it again.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate only rating this two stars but the editing was so sloppy. Story-wise it was a good adaptation and introduction to the Odyssey for L&C and the illustrations were charming but I couldn’t abide all the mistakes in the text.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful retelling of the Odyssey for children. I highly recommend it to any parent who loves to read to children as well as for any young child who loves adventure stories. The chapters are short and easy to read which makes it perfect for a read-aloud.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my 12 yo son. It was a good overview of The Odyssey. He and I both enjoyed the story, and we compared it to parts of the real story. I liked the quick links part of the book. We watched the videos and read the extra information. I think this was a great intro to ancient literature.

[Erin Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I figure I may likely never read the adult version of this classic, so this was one way to experience something which makes me feel more cultured or able to understand the references when used by others.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids kept begging me to keep reading. The pictures are unique and beautiful.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! This has something of the feel and flow of Homer's work. Kids loved it.

[Katilipops · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great version for young readers (or those who want a quicker/easier version the the original!)

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick one hour read. Loved remembering the details of this classic. Enjoyable illustrations and perfect bio on the Greek gods and characters in index.

[Shivani Verma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a feel good illustrated edition. Loved it.

[Jennifer Sneed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to Odyssey for young readers and nice review of the high points for adult readers.

[bear.hare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grabbed this off my boys’ shelf as a refresher of the story. Well done and great illustrations. It’d make a great read aloud as an easy intro into Greek mythology.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect version to read with my son as he learns and it was so beautifully illustrated!

[Sybil Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling that still captures the art of the story and isn’t boring!
Great illustrations, maps, and info in the back

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to the Odyssey.

There were too many ellipses for my taste . . . I found them distracting!

😉

[Alison Bullock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this as got it for a grandchild . Such an approachable way to keep the classics alive, plus rollicking good tale

[James Colacino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Synopsis:

This book was full of exiting points, like when Odysseus got his entire crew murdered by giants for landing on the wrong island, or when he got many of his men eaten by a cyclops because they invaded his home on accident, or when he got his entire crew turned into pigs because they trusted a goddess who they should’t have, or when his crew murdered a god’s cow because they were hungry (Not the best idea), Or when he was disguised as a beggar and then murdered a lot of intruders in his house trying to marry his wife.


Essential scenes:

After seven years being captive, the gods decide that Odysseus can return home. Earlier, he was washed on an island with a goddess named Calypso, who wanted to marry him, and she didn’t let him leave for seven years. When he returns home, tens upon tens of suitors will be waiting for his wife to finally marry one of, because he had ben gone for 20 years and they thought he was dead.

1. Gods release him from Island
2. Finds his way to Phaeacians who he tells his story to
3. Starts way home from Trojan war
4. Lands on Lotus Island and gets many men drugged
5. Lands on Cyclops Island and gets almost half his exploration force eaten
6. Lands on Giant Island and get most of his force eaten
7. Makes his way to Circe who turns his men to pigs but because of a god interfering she turns them back
8. Makes his way


Ideas and themes:

One of the many Ideas portrayed in this book is when Odysseus outsmarted and blinded the Cyclops, and then was too proud to let his victory go without a name, and so he told the Cyclops his name.

This was a bad idea, as the Cyclops called on his father (The god of the sea, Poseidon) to never let this man get home, or even if he does, make his entire crew die and his house filled with enemies.

This shows to be humble as being a bad sport can lead to consequences (you probably won’t have your friends die however). Even if you win and beat someone who you don’t like, or gives you a hard time, it’s still not ok to be like, for example “YOU ARE TRASH. YOU ARE TERRIBLE. GET GOOD” Because you never know how that can affect someone. I feel like a massive hypocrite writing that, as I’m way, way, way too competitive. But competitiveness has a place. One time, I was actually acting like a bad sport and not a humble winner, and I made the person feel terrible and almost cry because of personal problems. *


Recomendation:

I would recommend this to anyone who likes mythology books, because this book is about greek mythology and greek creatures
I would recommend this to anyone who likes adventure books, because this book as about an journey home against impossible odds


Opinion:

This book was amazing. It was beautifully edited version of the Odyssey that made for a great read. Well illustrated, Well made, Just overall a great book. 4.5 out of 5 stars.


(I am sorry this is so long it’s for school)


*Personal connection