Classical Myth: A Treasury of Greek and Roman Legends, Art, and History: A Treasury of Greek and Roman Legends, Art, and History

by Jane Bingham

The World of Mythology series introduces the myths of the world's greatest civilizations. The Classical world of ancient Greece and Rome has had an immeasurable impact on Western culture, but what inspired some of the greatest writers, philosophers, and architects of all time? Gods were not only worshipped, but consulted for both minor problems and victory in battle. The legends of mortals Heracles and Perseus were wrapped up in the lives of the immortals. Art and artifacts, as well as photographs of the landscapes immortalized in the tales, bring the world of Classical myth to life.

Genres: Nonfiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Jane M. Bingham spent most of her adult life teaching college students about children's literature at Oakland University, collecting and studying children's books from across history and around the world, and campaigning for better materials for children to read. After she retired from that career, she began writing children's books of her own. Bingham has since authored several nonfiction books that seek to explain contemporary issues to children, including divorce, the dangers of drug abuse, and the art and culture of civilizations around the world.
In Why Do Families Break Up? Bingham attempts to demystify the process of divorce for middle-school students. The book begins by examining some of the reasons a couple might decide to divorce, then moves on to explain the process of coping and moving on after a family separates. School Library Journal contributor Sharon A. Neal described the book as "supportive [and] unbiased" and noted, "Despite the nature of the topic, the book is hopeful."
Tiananmen Square: June 4, 1989 examines the studentled protest against China's Communist rulers that occurred there, in the middle of Beijing, in the spring of 1989. On June 4 the government mobilized the army, including tanks, to disperse the demonstrators, killing several of them in the process. "The excellent illustrations and clear narrative," Elizabeth Talbot wrote in School Library Journal, make Tiananmen Square a "good introduction" to the protest and its aftermath.
Bingham is the author of three installments in the "World Art and Culture" series, examining India, Africa, and Aboriginal Australia. Each book is brief, only fifty-six pages long, and "the texts are straightforward and concise," Gillian Engberg noted in a review of AfricanArt and Culture for Booklist. Despite this brevity, much information is packed into each volume. Bingham opens each book with a chapter about the history of the region, from thousands of years ago to the present day, and follows with chapters about the art forms practiced in that area. These include architecture, basket-weaving, creating musical instruments, dance, and body modification (tattoos, piercings, and the like), among others. Indian Art and Culture also includes a chapter on one of that country's modern art forms, the "Bollywood" movie industry. As Donna Cardon noted in School Library Journal, "The texts not only describe the art forms and how they are created, but also explain the role that art plays in the cultures."
Bingham once wrote: "In 1981 I completed a trip which took me to American Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, South Africa, and Swaziland. I collected examples of children's books along the way and became acutely aware of the need for books and other teaching resources in many developing countries. I was especially impressed with the variety of India's and Bangladesh's children's books—in spite of the difficulties their creators often encounter in publishing and promoting them. I also found that becoming aware of and enjoying the literature from other countries enriched my appreciation of American children's books. I found myself asking over and over why we, with the plethora we have to choose from, too often opt for the mediocre rather than the 'rarest kind of best.' As educators, creators, and consumers, we all too often forget to think of children's books as real literature because we fail to apply critical literary standards. It is my hope that my teaching and writing will draw attention to the continuing need for quality books in our own country and will also encourage American students and teachers to adopt a wider, world view of children's literature."

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hundreds of years ago two civilizations, known as the Greeks and Romans, had multiple stories to explain how the world began.These myths told how the earth was formed and how the gods were created.The stories follow the rise of Zeus and how humans came to be.The Greek creation stories were first written down by the poet Hesiod in the eighth century B.C.E ,but had been told for centuries before this.Classical Myth by Jane Bingham introduces many classical gods such as Poseidon,Ares,Zeus,etc,and their backstories.Many of the god’s adventures are written about i this book as well as ancient practices.,I would recommend this book to anyone who needs information over the topic and anyone who is simply intrigued on the subject of classical mythology.

[Sidney El Agib · Rating 2 out of 5]

Missing a lot of the main characters of the greek and roman mythology.
Even the ones mentioned is missing a lot of context and detail.
The book is a good option for very generic introduction of mostly greek mythology but a bad choice is you really want to get familiar with it.
Roman mythology is barely mentioned and does not cover even the basics.

[Brooke Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read that gives a simple introduction to anyone who wants to dip their toes into Greek mythology

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad general overview of classical mythology. The book looks more closely at the Greek than the Roman stories. It doesn't indicate anywhere that this is a reference book for children, but it's written simply enough that a middle-schooler could read and understand it easily. The myths have also been "cleaned up" to remove any references of sex, which does change the feel and understanding of the stories (eg: Zeus is said to go "play with the nymphs" when he was actually sleeping with a whole bunch of them in a myriad of forms). For anyone who has any basic understanding of Greek mythology, this book will honestly be too simple to be of any use. Someone who wants a really quick introduction to classic mythology will find it useful, but be aware that these are very simplified, white-washed versions of the original myths.