Little Goddess Girls, Artemis & the Awesome Animals. By, Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams, Illustrated by Yuyi Chen.

This is an easy to read, larger sized print, chapter book for younger readers. Very appealing with a colorful jacket and black and white illustrations on the inside. This series was modeled after the version of Goddess Girls for intermediate readers, and makes a great introduction to the series for it’s reader base. Artemis is the main character and is joined by Athena, Medusa, Zeus and others. I appreciate how the authors retain the integrity of the character traits of each mythical goddess or creature introduced into the story. It’s a great way for children to learn about Greek Mythology through the adventures of the relatable characters in our story. Recommended for readers in the primary grades and even intermediate struggling readers will very likely enjoy this series!

Dark of the Moon

Barrett reimagines the tale of the ruling family of Knossos – Minos, Pasiphae, Ariadne, the Minotaur – and the foreigner who changed their lives – Theseus. Instead of monsters and queens mating with animals, she tells the story of the clash between a matriarchal society and the men who want to change that tradition. Barrett crafts a tale that is much more believable than the traditional myth of the queen who mates with a bull and give birth to the Minotaur; the male law-giver’s title is the Minos, the High Priestess’ son is known as the Minotauros and he is no half beast. He is child who is both physically and mentally handicapped, conditions unacceptable for the child of the goddess. He is hidden away in the basement beneath the palace. More for fans of Friesner’s books than Riordan’s or Scott’s, readers who like historical fiction or mythology or both should enjoy this.

Gifts From the Gods

Wonderful summations of Greek Mythological stories condensed for the elementary readers.  It’s coupled with great illustrations which help to bring the stories to life.  One of the great benefits of this book is the author’s note in the back explaining the dramatic contribution the Greek language has made to English language.  There is also a chart which compares the Green Gods and Goddesses to the Roman, or Latin Gods and Goddesses, and also the definition of of their attributes.  Highly Recommended.