Mythologica: An encyclopedia of gods, monsters, and mortals from ancient Greece is as the title suggests, an illustrated encyclopedia of Greek mythology. Mythologica features stunningly beautiful portraits of mythological characters from the Greek Mythology I could see it being perfect to read to your young so they don’t end up like me ( not knowing much) Listed alphabetically, each spread presents a mythological figure, their attributes, and a summary of their story, along with some additional trivia. Along with them, popular mythological stories like Pandora's box, The Odyssey, and The Trojan War and the Argonauts. are also covered. I held off on this eARC to see a print copy as I feel like these 'coffee table' books require tangible touch to really feel their value. Sadly this one didn't do it for me. Not only was it an awkward large size (even for a book of this type it was odd); but the art in it is not engaging for children at all. I'm not sure why anyone would think that a modern, deco look would appeal to a child.

Let us know by leaving your comments in the box below or tweeting us @BookTrust using the hashtag #WhatToReadAfter.I did have some problems with the writing. This is considered a children's book, but the writing felt a bit complicated at times, - the words used, the descriptions.. I think it should be more a teenager-age book. His Introduction notes that “Greek mythology is everywhere” and remains relevant in modern society. He also states that given the difficulty of the original Greek names he has provided the most familiar names in English but also included their original names alongside. The text accompanying each entry is short and informative. Sionregarde le mode d’expression de ces récits, on constate qu’ils se présentent sous des aspects différents : You wouldn't change Van Gogh's art to look like Thomas Kinkade; so why change Ancient Greek style to like anything other than what it is. Everything you ever wanted to know about the famous boy-Pharaoh whose amazing tomb has taught the world so much about ancient Egypt and its people.

Realms and Powers: Protector of farmers, the god of water and the underworld, the bitter enemy of Perun, a wizard; a guarantor of human treaties; clairvoyance and prophecies; traders and merchants I've read a few of these greek mythology summaries lately. The summary info is about the same here, but slightly better with the Greek names included. What makes this book stand out among the others is the art. Victoria Topping's designs are visually stunning. And, at the end of the day, I just don't see this as a book meant for adult readers. There are far better and more informative texts out there to satisfy that curiosity.

The book was concise with general information. The only thing I hated was the quoted text since it's the same information as the one in the paragraph so I didn't see the point of it there repeated. Another problem for me was how some parts were worded since I wasn't sure who they were talking about exactly. Also, the sypnosis mentioned that it's alphabetical but my ebook copy wasn't so... I'm not sure? Mythologica's illustrations are bold, striking, and imaginative. These renderings of the Greek gods and goddesses encouraged me to question the stereotypical images of these figures that have formed in my head over time.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions for granting my wish for a digital edition via NetGalley of ‘Mythologica’, written by Dr. Stephen P. Kershaw and illustrated by Victoria Topping, in exchange for an honest review. I'd personally find any other gorgeous Greek mythology book to gift a child. This one is just confusing and feels completely mistargeted. For me it's not a stereotype of art if we have proof that it's a classic artistic time period. Greek names can be really difficult, and there are lots of different ways of spelling them in English. Achilles is really Akhilleus in Greek; Clytemnestra is actually Klytaimnestra; and Oedipus is called Oidipous. Sometimes the Greek gods and heroes are given Roman names too, so Odysseus becomes Ulysses, and Zeus becomes Jupiter or Jove! So we’ve chosen the most familiar spellings, but given you their names in real Greek too!”Subtitled ‘an encyclopaedia of gods, monsters and mortals from ancient Greece’, this is intended as an introduction to 50 characters from Greek mythology for children ages 7-10. It was published on 3 September. Dragnea, Mihai. "Slavic and Greek-Roman Mythology, Comparative Mythology." Brukenthalia: Romanian Cultural History Review 3 (2007): 20–27. Print. Overall, it was an amazing read with a mesmerizing art for each god that was featured. I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes mythology to add this beautiful piece to their collection solely for the art. The author, Dr Steve Kershaw, wrote a piece for TeenLibrarian about how his fascination developed, and who remain his favourite Gods, Heroes and Monsters!