Title of the work
Country of the First Edition
Country/countries of popularity
Original Language
First Edition Date
First Edition Details
Sue Reid, Mark Bergin, ill., The Voyages of Odysseus (Ancient Greek Myths). Brighton: Salariya Book Company Book House, 2004, 32 pp.
ISBN
Genre
Illustrated works
Myths
Target Audience
Children
Cover
Courtesy of The Salariya Book Company.
Author of the Entry:
Viktoryia Bartsevich, University of Warsaw, v.bartsevich@student.uw.edu.pl
Peer-reviewer of the Entry:
Elżbieta Olechowska, University of Warsaw, elzbieta.olechowska@gmail.com
Lisa Maurice, Bar-Ilan University, mauril8@gmail.com
Mark Bergin
, b. 1961
(Illustrator)
Mark Bergin was born in Hastings, England. He studied at Eastbourne College of Art. He works as an illustrator of children’s books: The Voyages of Odysseus written by Sue Reid, Gods and Goddesses in the Daily Life of the Vikings written by Jen Green, Going to War in Ancient Greece written by Adrian Gilbert, Going to the War in Ancient Egypt written by Anne Millard, An Ancient Greek Temple: The Story of the Building of the Temple in Ancient Greece written by J. Malam and others.
Sources:
The cover of the book The Adventures of Perseus.
Profile at the biography.jrank.org (accessed: July 4, 2018).
Bio prepared by Viktoryia Bartsevich, University of Warsaw, v.bartsevich@student.uw.edu.pl
Sue Reid (Author)
Sue Reid writes historical fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults. Her first book Mill Girl was published by Scholastic in 2002. Since then she has published ten other books. She hopes her books set in different periods will inspire young readers with her own love for history.
Sources:
Bios based on biographies of creators based on the cover of the book The Voyages of Odysseus and her website (accessed: June 11, 2017).
Bio prepared by Viktoryia Bartsevich, University of Warsaw, v.bartsevich@student.uw.edu.pl
David Salariya
, b. 1954
(Illustrator)
David Salariya was born in 1954 in Dundee, Scotland. He is the founder of Salariya Book Company. David Salariya is an illustrator. His first illustration was done for Reader’s Digest.
Source:
Interview at the creativeinterviews.com (accessed: April 17, 2018).
Interview at the childrensillustrators.com (accessed: April 17, 2018).
Bio prepared by Elżbieta Olechowska, University of Warsaw, elzbieta.olechowska@gmail.com and Viktoryia Bartsevich, University of Warsaw, v.bartsevich@student.uw.edu.pl
Translation
Polish: Mity starożytnej Grecji: Podróże Odyseusza, trans. Janusz Ochab, Warszawa: Firma Księgarska Jacek i Krzysztof Olesiejuk Inwestycje, 2005.
Summary
This book depicts Odysseus' travels and various adventures: meeting with Polyphemus, the Cyclops; visiting the court of King Aeolus and on the island of Circe; Odysseus' descent to the Underworld; meeting dangerous sirens, and escaping Scylla and Charybdis. After all the adventures, Odysseus comes home to Ithaca, and there is danger there as well - the palace is occupied by suitors trying to marry Odysseus’ wife, Penelope. Odysseus defeats the suitors.
In this book, the illustrations and words work together to tell the story. The illustrations are fun and complement the text. They are dynamic and convey the emotions that are contained in the text.
Analysis
Like every book in the series "Ancient Greek Myths", The Voyages of Odysseus is very well composed. The text is written in an accessible way, and the illustrations are colorful and complete the text. The Homeric story of Odysseus’ travels after the fall of Troy is told in the traditional version of the epic. Scary scenes or characters are shown in a suitable way for children, without horror or unpleasantness. The book ends with a glossary that explains to the young reader who is who in Greek mythology. It is a typical retelling of well-known stories and also has didactic value. However, first and foremost, it is a tale of exotic and magical adventures, absorbing for young children.
