D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths (audiobook)

November 16, 2012 Uncategorized 0

D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths

Author: Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire
Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Publication Date: Sept. 19, 1962
Pages: 192
Source: audiobook for review from Listening Library
Read By: Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Kathleen Turner, Matthew Broderick
Audiobook Publisher: 
Listening Library
Length: 4 hours


About the Book: Here are the immortals of Olympus—the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece—as freshly described as if they were alive today.

            Mighty Zues with his fistful of thunderbolts; mischievous little Hermes; grey-eyed Athena, godess of wisdom; Asclepius, the first physician; Orpheus and his beloved Euridice; Helios the sun, crossing the heavens in his fiery chariot. . . these and other equally fabulous figures are featured here with their heroic deeds and petty squabbles illuminated in full dimension.
“For any child fortunate enough to have this generous book…the kings and heroes of ancient legend will remain forever matter-of-fact; the pictures interpret the text literally and are full of detail and witty observation.”
Horn Book.
“The drawings…are excellent and excitingly evocative.”
The New York Times.

My Thoughts: Ever since eighth grade literature class I have been a huge fan of Greek mythology. When the good people at Listening Library offered me this audiobook for review I was totally on board. I mean, just look at the list of narrators! Paul Newman! Sidney Poitier! Kathleen Turner! Matthew Broderick! Talk about all-star list!

D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths does not disappoint. It covers so many of the major and minor gods and the myths associated with them. The book starts with the Greek creation story and the Titans. The basic structure then moves to looking at one god and tells myths relating to them. This typically ends when a different god/hero enters the picture and we switch to learning about them. I really liked this as it showed how many of the myths are connected.

 Now, this version is written for younger readers so they don’t go into great detail. It’s basically an overview of the body of Greek mythology. I enjoyed this. There were a number of myths I hadn’t heard before as well as details I didn’t know. It was so fun to learn more. The authors did a great job of working in humor and wry observations.

The audiobook itself was so well done. As I mentioned before, the narrators are perfect. I want Matthew Broderick to narrate all the YA books!!! Sidney Poitier does drama like nobody’s business. Kathleen Turner and Paul Newman are wonderful as well. Since the book is broken up into “bite sized” stories it was easy for me to find a good stopping place when I got to work. I liked being able to pick up with a new story every time I started listening again. I highly recommend this audiobook to anyone. If you’ve never really tried an audiobook this one is a great place to start since it’s so easy to follow.

Fans of Greek mythology should not miss D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths! It’s great for young people and adults alike! 

Check out audible to hear an excerpt from Kathleen Turner or listen to Paul Newman using the embedded excerpt:  

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