I picked this book up while in search of something about heroes for children. Odysseus fits the bill, but with reservations. He wants to be a hero, but feels that all the wars have been fought, all the monsters slain and all the glory gone. He is so wrong, as he finds out on his adventures with his best friend. Pirate ships, sea rescues, strange creatures, hand to hand combat and a deathly maze are among the surprises that await him as he sails back home after a visit with his grandfather. The action never lags and Odysseus struggles with being afraid and doing what needs to be done anyway. There is also a strong female character in Penelope, a handmaiden for a kidnapped princess, that Odysseus and his friend meet. It is fast paced and filled with adventure. It's not easy being a hero, but Odysseus and friends come through time and again.

When you think of Odysseus, you think of the big wooden horse, lots of blood and mayhem, and a mild-mannered Penelope who assumes that her suitors are as dumb as she is. But you may not see him (or her) quite the same way after reading this book. It's a fun romp for kids, and may also be for adults with knowledge of Greek mythos.

Thirteen-year-old Odysseus and his best friend Mentor want to be heroes (actually, Odysseus wants to be a hero, and Mentor tags along) at the home of Odysseus's thief-king grandfather. After a partially successful hunt in which they help stop a monstrous boar, the boys are sent home across the sea -- except a storm washes them overboard, and leaves them stranded in a box in the middle of the ocean.

After they are captured by pirates, the boys find that they are not the only captives. There are a pair of princesses, the incredibly beautiful (but spoiled, petty and self-absorbed) Helen, and the less beautiful but clever Penelope. With the help of an incredibly smelly satyr and a self-rowing ship, Odysseus and his friends escape. But they inadvertantly stumble into more places full of things and creatures both astounding -- and terrifying.

This is a pretty fun read. It's a coming-of-age story/adventure story/mythological story, that takes up mythical threads and adds on to them as it skilfully shows the growth of the characters. The things such as Daedalus's lab and the boat that rows itself are done with exquisite atmosphere, as is the boar hunt and the semi-humiliating scenes that follow. Comedy, horror, adventure, and occasional awe are mixed in expertly.

Odysseus is reminiscent of Lloyd Alexander's Taran, with his brash eagerness to be a hero and a man among men, and his gradual maturation when he has to deal with actual danger. There's a good chemistry between him and Penelope; though it's not yet romantic, it's one of mutual respect and understanding which hints at their future relationship. Mentor is good as the voice of reason (except when Helen addles his mind) and Helen is great as a spoiled royal brat who thinks of her looks, suitors, and status as a princess. You WILL want to strangle her.

If your kids have ever enjoyed Greek legends, or if you're trying to interest them, this historical/mythical fantasy may be the ticket.

We all know Odysseus through Homer's epic rendition of his adventures, but this is a rollicking portrait of the hero as a very young man. In this absolute romp of a book we meet the future hero and crafty warrior in his early years, exploring the meaning of courage and loyalty, fighting most wonderful monsters, dealing with the gods of Greek mythology and with other characters from his own story. These secondary characters are as well-drawn as our hero himself, and Penelope gets to be a heroine in her own right, to my own personal satisfaction. The portrait of the other 'female lead' is absolutely classic and her signature phrase is a complete delight, the response to which the authors have nobly refrained from posing... but I refuse to spoil the surprise!

Odysseus in the Serpent Maze is terrific, page-turning fun, beautifully imagined by the ever-splendid Jane Yolen and her marvellous co-author Robert J. Harris. This team, who wrote The Queen's Own Fool (a highly-original tale revolving around Mary Queen of Scots), have now turned to Greek legend and have done a truly fine job. The sheer cleverness of the plot twists and turns never gets in the way of a really good story. The brief epilogue also, painlessly, helps younger readers sort the fact from the fiction.

One gets the impression that this is the first in a series, presumably entitled Young Heroes - at least I certainly hope so. Well done, Yolen and Harris, and the more Young Heros the better!

My 4 year old daughter really enjoys the three mysteries written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Jane Dyer in the Piggins series, but "Piggins" is her most favorite. I often catch her flipping through the pages by herself in a quiet corner telling the story to herself. Dyer's illustrations are colorful and detailed. There are many things for a small child to look at. Yolen's story is as usual, a great read and keeps my daughter's attention the whole story (well, expect for when she starts asking questions!) Thank goodness the book came out in paperback, as the book is constantly in circulation at our local library. We now have all three Piggins Stories in our bookcase!

Piggins is one of those rare gems: A book interesting and simple enough for very young children to enjoy (ages 3-4), with more subtlety in the text and especially in the exquisitely detailed and humorous illustrations. The adult will also enjoy the story for the beauty of the illustrations, the tongue in cheek wit, and the delight of reading and rereading and re-examining the illustrations to catch the clues to the "who was the thief?" mystery within the story.
We read this with my 8 nieces and nephews age 1-21 and all enjoyed it. It seems we still can find a new little gem in the details on every rereading. For a beautifully illustrated and gently humorous story that is very different than the run of the mill read aloud story, every family should own this. I recommend it for a gift to families with a new baby. Parents as well as the kids will love it!

This is a children's picture book written in the classic English Manor House Mystery style-- complete with a dinner party, distinguished guests, missing jewels and, of course, the butler, Piggins. I won't give away who "did it," but kids will have fun solving the mystery as you read the book to them. Part of the fun is looking at all the details in the drawings of the house. I highly recommend this book.

An unusually short novel, "White Hart" is poignant and mysterious, magical and an unusual tale of friendship. Jane Yolen draws on some of the themes she does best for this book, and the result definitely won't disappoint.

Richard is a dreamy young boy who is sick a great deal, and as a result he reads a great deal. And when he gets a glimpse of a white animal running through the woods near his home, he is convinced that it is the mythical unicorn. But it is also seen by Heather Fielding (referred to simply as an "enjoyer") who becomes entwined in Richard's search for the unicorn.

Heather is skeptical of Richard's claim, thinking that the creature is really an albino deer. However she begins to agree with Richard, and the two becomes friends as they research unicorns. But when the white hart is threatened by discovery, will their friendship be strong enough?

Perhaps the worst thing about "Transfigured Hart" is that it can be read in about half an hour, and as a result the reader may be left craving more and finding that there's nothing more. The writing ranges from the everyday to the absolutely mystical, sprinkled through with trivia and legends about unicorns without seeming too instructional. And in true Yolen style, there is always the question of what exactly the white hart is -- did Richard and Heather see a unicorn, or did they see what they wanted to see? What kind of creature is it? The short chapters focusing on it will have readers puzzling it out.

Richard will capture the attention and sympathy of the readers. He's a Fox Mulder of the fantastical, a kid who can wholeheartedly believe in things that others scoff at as legends. At the same time, he acknowledges the origins and legends. Heather is a less believable character, as she often seems a little forced in her attitude. But the testing of their friendship is well-done.

Yolen aptly displays that the unicorn was not always a cute little decoration, but a compelling legend and a powerful symbol. "Transfigured Hart" is a simple and beautiful story, which anyone looking for an unusual, well-written read should check out.

This book is short but sweet. It centers around three characters: Heather, a fairly outgoing young girl who likes to ride her horse in the woods, Richard, a sick young boy who rarely does anything but read, and the Hart, a white Unicorn/stag. They meet in the woods one day and live up to the saying that opposites attract--the kids are complete opposites but take to each other immediately. They meet on accident because they both saw the hart in the bushes and went to look for it.

This book is enchanting, however quite short. You could easily read this in less than an hour, but you'll think about it for a long time. The descriptions of the hart and his feelings are great, as well as the sketches of the characters' personalities. Both kids are so 'loud' to the reader despite the length of the book. They are completely developed and well-rounded. Sweet story. A good read.

Richard is a sickly young orphan living with his aunt and uncle. He prefers the company of books to that of other children, and resents his aunt and uncle's suggestions that he make some friends. One day, while reading in a glade in the woods, Richard spots a beautiful white animal by a shimmering pond. He only sees it for a moment, but is sure that it was either a white deer, a hart... or a unicorn. He decides that it must be a unicorn, and begins studying unicorn mythology. But, unbeknowst to him, someone else has also seen the hart. Heather, a happy, popular girl in his school who comes from a family with three older brothers, has also seen it, though she decides that it's an albino deer.

When Heather and Richard meet in the glade, they are first unhappy to realize that their secret isn't theirs alone, but come to decide that they will try to tame the hart together.

A gentle and truly magical tale of friendship, innocence, and the power of imagination. Richard and Heather are likable characters, and their quest to find and then free the unicorn has both appealingly humorous and realistic details and a true mythic resonance.

Jane Yolen has been called the greatest writer of fairy tales since Hans Christian Andersen, and this book proves it once again.

This was a wonderful book! It is a simple story about a little girl coping with the absence of her father during WWII. The secrets she learns about the world around her can help us all to appreciate life and its many blessings! The pictures make this the perfect read aloud book! I hope you enjoy this book as much as my class did!

IThis book is about a 4 year old girl whose father goes goes off to fight in World War II. While he is gone, Janie's cousin teaches her a lesson about perception and how things appear small the farther away that they are. When Janie's father comes home 2 years later, she echoes this lesson in his ear when he iis holding his daughter and comments on how big she has gotten. She says she was small when he was far away, and now that he is close, she seems big. This is a heartwarming and touching book, and what I especially loved were the beautiful watercolor illustrations that reflect the setting and time period of the story. I highly recommend recommend this story for children of many ages.

After the stellar "Odysseus" and mediocre "Hippolyta," Jane Yolen shows her exceptional storytelling skills once more in "Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast." The legendary huntress and runner is given an unusual and suspenseful adventure, that very few could pull off well.

Atalanta was abandoned in the forest as a baby, and raised until the age of four by a bear. Then her bear-mother was killed, and the feral child was taken in and raised by a childless couple, until her mother died. One day an enormous creature attacks the cottage, killing Atalanta's father. Before he dies, he gives her a ring that is the only clue to where she might come from. But Atalanta doesn't particularly want to be with humans, as she informs the nature-god Pan.

She teams up with an old playmate (a bear) whom she calls Urso. She rescues Urso from a village of hunters, and spends time near other humans -- until the hunters come upon a monstrous winged lion. She teams up with Urso and the legendary hunter Orion to hunt down the winged lion.

As with the previous two books, this one has plenty of action, lots of trivia about Greek mythology, legend and everyday life, and the gods and heroes bob in and out of it. Artemis (kind of petulant) and Pan (likably weird and quirky) both make appearances, as does the skilled but rather boastful Orion (who was immortalized as a constellation -- Orion the Hunter, and Orion's Belt).

Atalanta is a good heroine -- she craves freedom, has a strong sense of herself, and defnitely grows and changes over the course of the story. Orion is as he should be, proud but pretty likable. Urso is proof that you don't need dialogue to be a good character -- he's a bear, but he has more likability to him than most fictional characters who DO talk. And I liked Pan, of course.

Yolen's writing is quick and sometimes humorous, though this is a more somber book than "Odysseus." The dialogue isn't hard to understand, and she shows an exceptional ability to make legends and myths very palatable. And the sense of menace and danger around the winged lion is very believable.

Fans of Greek myth and fantasy will enjoy "Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast" -- a solid, fast-paced, well-written story of the Age of Heroes. Hope this series has many more books yet to go...

I really enjoyed this book. if you like adventures read thhis book. Also read the other books in the series.

So far this book is a bout a kid that has a baby brother. He also thinks he is a real monster. this book is a really cool and I wouldn't want to be in his position right now.

Bruce Coville has gone and brought some of his short stories and other peoples about monsters together. He has some in like My Little Brother is a Monster and his mom finds a little baby on the front step and they take it in. Then the boy sees that it changes in the light of a full moon. Pretty good book, but some of the stories are kind of lame.

It was a good book, but I would have liked it better if the reding level was higher (I read this book because of it's content, not it's reading level. I normaly read books that are on the adult level.). It was a book that I wish I could have read when I was 6 or 7. I'm not saying that the book was on an easy reading level, it's just that I have been reading adult books ever scince I can remember.

this book was excellent. I loved how it takes you away from reality and would recommend it to all ages for reading due to that if you are an elder you can go back in time with the way Jane Yolen writes this. I hope this book stays on the shelves forever. The characters and realism of the outer planet this sets in is well described.

Yolen's "Here There Be..." series takes a slightly more supernatural twist in this book, where the focus is angels rather than dragons, unicorns or witches. Though marred by one jarring short story, this collection is overall beautifully written and well thought out.

"Another Count of Angels" is an endearing little poem for a writer or an artist. "Once a Good Man" is a heartwarming fable about a man who wishes to see both heaven and hell. "Tale of Two Peters" is when Saint Peter bumps into Peter the Great. "School Visitor" is a beautiful drabble about children describing the multicultural bevy of angels that they have seen. "Jacob's Ladder" is a fifty-word drabble in which Jacob sees the angels going up the ladder... or is it down? "The House of Seven Angels" is a story about a Ukrainian rabbi who has the Angel of Death lurking over him.

"Manya's Story" is an intriguing poem about a little girl who is "sold" to her neighbors so the Angel of Death won't claim her as it did her siblings. "Lady Merion's Angel" is about a woman who finds an angel in her garden. "Angelica" was one story I was uncomfortable with, about the angel Pistis Sophia and Adolf Hitler as a small boy. "The Angel of Mons" is a letter from a young man in World War II who sees angels. "The Boy Who Had Wings" is sweet and poignant, a story about a young man born with wings. "Child's Prayer" is an entertaining poem, with an accompanying amusing picture. "Brother Kenan's Bell" is based on an old legend, about a monk who tries to get a bell to ring with no clapper. I didn't really understand the song "Angel City Blues."

"The Word the Devil Made Up" is a story grown out of an African-American folktale, and readers will never guess what the word is. "Fallen Angel" is the amusing story of when an angel falls to Earth, and into the care of three ordinary kids who try to help him. "Thinking of Angels" is an endearing little poem. "Wrestling with Angels" is a darker story where a boy sees his father fighting with an angel, a vision that drags his father's life apart before he puts it back together. "Angel Feather" and "On the Head of a Pin" round it out with some beautiful poetry.

As always, David Wilgus's pencil drawings are exquisite, light and shadow that complement the stories being told. For those seeking good stories and poetry about angelic beings, look no further.

I loved this book, but I didn't like the Adolf Hitler story. Skip the story Angelica(Pistis Sophia) and you will be completely satisfied with this book.

I was very impressed with "Here There Be Angels." Jane Yolen, an extremely talented writer, gives us a collection of poems and stories, all with some sort of angelic or heavenly tie-in. David Wilgus tops off the charming tales with his amazing drawings. The stories and poems cover a broad range of topics, from Old Testament arch-angels, and just plain cute little children's stories. The entire book is enchanting, and will be appreciated by angel-lovers everywhere.

"Drowing towns" I had never heard of such a thing and was highly interested in reading this book about a remarkable event in history.
(Though apparently it has happened worldwide)

To be honest .. I was disappointed. What should have been an emotional, impactful story turned out to be rather bland.

The writing was choppy, (difficult to read out loud) pictures ho-hum (even though I love Barbara Cooney!) and the overall intensity was not there as I thought it should be. Afterall we are talking about people leaving the homes and their way of life that had been in their families for generations.

I was expecting better. I think Patricia MacLachlan and Illustrator Ted Rand or Susan Jeffers could have made a real triumph out of this.

That said, _DO_ read this book. It is a remarkable event in history and this book is still worth reading.

The concept of water -- where does it come from, how do we use it, where does it go when we are done with it -- is a big topic in our busy household. Both of my kids are interested in the environment and conservation, and I think a lot of that interest can be attributed to a small set of books -- Letting Swift River Go among them -- that were a part of their bedtime often throughout the beginnings of their childhood. My youngest son, in fact, is eleven now, but still pulls this book out and reads it to himself and to others on occasion.

You'll find the great writing here that you expect from Jane Yolen, along with a plot that serves as a vehicle for commentary that allows children to look at the cost of progress when it comes to building towns and cities.

This is one of the best children's books I've read in a long time. The story of the building of the Quabbin Resevoir in western MA is not a wide told story, but it should be. This book is clearly written so children can understand what was happeneing. The illustrations are also wonderful and will keep the children engaged. If you're the grown up reader, don't count on getting through this with a dry eye. It's definatly a book for ALL ages. ~Sarah Aziz Mount Holyoke College Sophomore (age 19)

This is a wonderful book of trickery your child may never notice. In this book a little boy tells of the woes of every little boys life, bumps and bruises with championed stories. However, these injuries impede the progress of his mother and father's wishes to rid him of his odorous battle scars. When grandmother steps in, with her tea leaf reading magic the boy is conned into a bath and the reliving of all of his adventures.

I love this book enough to search for a copy for my new grandson. I read it many times to my son, now 21, and we loved the way this book subtly acknowledges that kids don't always want to submit to to usual adult rules of hygiene. However, coaxed by a loving and knowing grandmother, and following a series of enjoyable activities she and her grandson share while delaying, the bath is eventually taken and its enormity defused.

this book - picked up by my mother at a library giveaway sale - has been a huge hit with my 5 yr old. the theme - no bath tonight - really hits home with her - the prose is extremely witty and the pictures are just precious. we highly recommend this wonderful book at our house!