Mythological Creatures: A Classical Bestiary

by Lynn Curlee

Tales about proud gods and goddesses, fabulous creatures, ferocious beasts, and brave heroes from the world of Greek mythology have captured the imaginations of readers, young and old, for centuries. Now see them brought to life like never before, as acclaimed author and artist Lynn Curlee turns his brush to a subject that is unlike any other to create a work of boundless creativity and beauty.

From the fierce Chimera, who is part lion, goat, and serpent; to the magnificent Phoenix that rises from its own ashes; to the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece; to the legend of Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa; to the noble winged horse, Pegasus; to Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog of Hades, Mr. Curlee explores the characters of the myths and legends that have been told and retold for thousands of years.
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i> brings to life a world where lowly mortals can either be favored or destroyed by powerful gods and goddesse and where kings and queens must bow down before Zeus and his brethren. It is a place where nymphs and centaurs roam to the music of Pan's flute and the hungry Cyclops and Minotaur lurk in the shadows -- a magical place of love, danger, and imagination.

Genres: Mythology, Picture Books, Fantasy, Childrens, Greece

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 4, 2008

Reviews

[Kim Valentine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a one page tale about 16 different beings, beast, monsters and creatures from ancient Greek Mythology. I think the prologue that introduces and explains how Greek myths came about. This book would be a good start to a mythology unit. There are 12 stories in the book: Pan; Centaurs; Triton; Gryphons; Phoenix; etc... I loved looking at the pictures. I like books with bold bright colors.

Genre: Myth
Grades: 1-8

Activities:
1. Use this book to introduce a Greek Mythology unit.
2. Have the students create a myth to explain something in nature.
3. Have students create a storyboard and find how some of the characters are related or influenced by characters in other stories in the book.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My four year old is extremely intersted in mythological creatures right now. We found this book at the library and it is fantastic. The text is a bit complex for someone his age, but it has still been a great book for him. Each page has one full page beautiful illustration next to a page of text telling the myths associated with the creature being discussed. Thomas is becoming familiar with the stories of Jason and the Argonauts, Theseus, and Bellerophon (! OK, he was new to me, too!). And he's telling his teacher about Harpies. As fun a read for me as for him. A gorgeous, well-written book that wil make you want to read more.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each mythical beast is presented with a one-page narrative and a full page illustration. After reading this book, readers will realize the lasting influence Greek mythology has had on all of literature. They will see a phoenix similar to the one they encountered in Harry Potter, the god Pan who they probably met as Tutmus in Chronicles of Narnia, and Poisidon who they met in disney films like "The Little Mermaid".

[Loanne Cheng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Curlee, Lynn. Mythological Creatures: A Classical Bestiary (2008). A bestiary of classic Greek myth stories that include God and Goddesses, Centaurs, the Sphinx, Harpies, the Minotaur, the Chimera, and Pegasus. The prologue gives the reader a piece of short background information about the history of Greek mythology. The 16 short one-page stories cover different gods and creatures of Greek mythology. “Pan, the God of Nature” tells about Pan, his love for a nymph, and how he became to playing the reed pipes. The story of the Minotaur begins with the King Minos of Crete and how he kept the Minotaur alive in the Labyrinth where one day Theseus entered the Labyrinth and slit the Minotaur’s throat. Many other stories in this collection will give the reader a glimpse of Greek mythology. The epilogue provided the context between the Greeks and the Romans and how they tied in with each other regarding the changes of the names of the gods between the two cultures.

Author and illustrator, Curlee, did an amazing job with the illustrations that connect the story with the paintings. Illustrations, adjacent to the story, were comprised of full-page acrylic paintings that are clearly drawn and defined the Gods, Goddesses, and creatures with colors that are bold, deep and rich. This classic Greek myth collection will be enticing to an audience that is interested in learning about Greek mythology and to those who are attracted to the full-color paintings of the story. Target audience: ages 8-12.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of several beasts in Greek mythology. Each beings gets one page of information, and then a full page and very detailed illustration. It gives background information and details about each creature. It also features a prologue and epilogue that contains more information. Sixteen creatures are discussed through twelve stories. I loved the writing style in this book. It was presented very elegantly and was fun to read. It would be something that a young child be read to as the language is a bit more advanced. I very much enjoy Greek mythology and read a lot of it as a kid. This was a bit nostalgic for me in the best of ways. This would be a great introduction to a Greek mythology unit, as these animals and strange beings are ones that show up very often in this subgenre. Since there are lots of patterns in mythology, this would be a good book to start with, as it identifies different character types as well.

[RumBelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greek mythology has always interested me. tales of gods and goddesses, heroes, monsters and amazing magical creatures. The stories all had a purpose, to explain things in the world, but the way they were crafted was so phenomenal.

This book focuses on some of the more fascinating, and scary, creatures from those myths. Pegasus, centaurs, chimera, the god Pan and several others are featured. Each creature has a two page spread, one side is a brilliantly colorful illustration, the other is a short version of the myth that that creature is known for. The stories are not as brutal in this book, it is geared more towards children.

A fascinating, and engaging look at some of the creatures from Greek myth.

[Abigail Steiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book because I have always loved mythology. It tells the stories of classic Greek myths in simple enough ways that children can understand them. My favorite story that is depicted in this book is the story of Medusa. I have always found her story very fascinating and tragic.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our oldest borrowed this book from her elementary school library. She is fascinated by all things in Greek mythology right now and this book is a good primer on the various creatures found in these myths. The illustrations are terrific, with a one-page narrative and illustration to highlight each creature. And the various narratives weave together in places to form stories.

We really enjoyed reading this book together. I would recommend it for older children, though, since there are some scenes that might disturb younger or more sensitive children. I learned a few things, too, and I really liked the Prologue and Epilogue for more background information. I also liked that some of the creatures featured are fairly commonly known to children (like the Pegasus) and this book describes their origin and more information about them. We've read this book a couple of times.

interesting quote:

"The ancient Greeks had a wonderful notion - the poet flies upon the wings of Pegasus, and in our imaginations so can we." (p. 35)

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great idea to introduce some Greek Mythology to younger kids. Though my 5-year-old son keeps asking me to read more, it seems there's a bit too much in it for him to fully grasp what's going on. It's hard to jump in the middle of a tale about many characters with strange names to explain where this character came from. I think just a children's version of the Greek myths told in story form with more pictures would probably be better. OR maybe this book is just intended for an older audience.

[Jessica S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't have enough mythology books on hand with this Percy Jackson craze still going on. This one is a good one.