Damon, Pythias, and the Test of Friendship

by Teresa Bateman, Layne Johnson (Illustrator)

Outside of ancient Syracuse on the island of Sicily, there lived a cruel ruler named Dionysius.  He trusted no one.  Nearby lived two best friends, Damon and Pythias.  One day Pythias spoke out against Dionysius, who quickly ordered his execution, to take place in one month.  Pythias wanted to return to his elderly parents to say goodbye and arrange for their care.  Dionysius laughed, not trusting that Pythias would return. Damon stood up and offered to take Pythias' place until he returned.  The ruler agreed only after stipulating that if Pythias did not come back, Damon would die instead.  When the execution day arrived, Pythias had not returned, but Damon still believed that his friend would be there if he could.  Just in time, Pythias ran in, offering up his own life for his friend's.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2009

About the author

Teresa Bateman was born in Moscow, Idaho, but moved to Washington State when she was three-years-old and that's where she has lived most of her life.

An avid writer and reader, Teresa has been making up stories and poems since she was in grade school. "To me it was as natural as breathing," says Teresa.

In school Teresa would drive her teachers crazy by 'creatively' completing assignments. She always met the letter of their assignment, if not the spirit. She worked hard to inject some humor into her work, knowing that the teachers would be reading hundreds of papers and wanting hers to stand out. It worked.

Teresa took English classes for fun in college and when she applied for a Washington State Teaching credential, the state looked at her transcripts and added an endorsement to teach English through the 12th grade!

Teresa cites her teacher Donnell Hunter at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, as having a big influence on her and her writing. He published a class magazine to which the class submitted their work under pen names. Their grades depended on how many stories were included in the magazine. Teresa submitted under about 15 different pen names--just to be annoying! But she knew her work was being judged on its merits alone. Mr. Hunter encouraged her journal writing and instilled in Teresa good writing habits that she continues to this day.

Teresa served an 18-month mission for her church in Argentina, and taught school for a year in Honduras. She also taught school briefly in St. Mary's, Alaska -- a little bush village with a population of 500 in the winter and 50 in the summer. She has been a librarian in the Federal Way School District in Washington for over 30 years.

Teresa writes every single day. She also works full-time, so that means some days she doesn't write much, but she always writes. When at home, Teresa's special spot for writing has a good view of the lilac bushes outside. A picture of a winding path through gentle rolling hills and meadows hangs on the wall. She tells herself, when stuck for an idea, that the story lies at the end of that path.

Teresa lives in Tacoma, Washington.

Reviews

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful retelling of an inspired and supposedly true story. The book's description gives the context, and I only want to add that the gentle text, the pacing and the expressive illustrations (especially the faces) combine to give this story a powerful and heart-wrenching charm. (The tears were running down my cheeks.)

Reviewed for www.GoodReadingGuide.com

[Jess B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done in story and art style. Easy for a child just learning to read as the words are nice and big, but kept mostly to a minimum so there aren't just walls of text on each page. The story chosen was perfect and the moral was a good one; it won't be lost on little ones. Bateman did a wonderful job in her retelling. I can tell she worked hard on keeping the words to a minimum but still managed not to lose any of the important details in the story. Speaking of which, I'm also glad she chose this particular piece because it's not one that's chosen very often from Greek legends.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story of trust and standing up to tyranny. Also, excellent artwork showing the styles and fashions of the time period.

But can I just say what everyone is thinking? There is no way Damon and Pythias are "just friends". You might as well say they are "just roommates". >eyeroll<

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a decent retelling, although the ending is handled a bit too cheesy, I think. I really like the art, though.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

If only all friendships were as such.