Theseus and the Minotaur

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 13, 2014

Review

This is a Toon Graphic, which is an imprint of Candlewick Press, and is a nice quality book. The premise is that some children have requested a story and so a man weaves the story of Theseus and the Minotaur. Pommaux delicately handles the conception of Theseus and using prose that is heavily illustrated, not quite a graphic novel, but without a better category for this type of storytelling that's where I'd put this book, he recounts the entire story of Theseus and his defeat of the Minotaur. The book ends with the storyteller tying Theseus's victory and subsequent rule as the start of democracy. Greek names and places are defined and phonetically spelled out in footnotes, and there is an illustrated index in the back of the book for further information about characters and places mentioned in the story. This book could be picked up for pleasure by readers who like mythology, and it can be used in the classroom to teach the myth, or to teach how a myth can be told/illustrated. Recommend for collections with high-mythology interest, schools with Latin programs, and for lovers of graphic novels.

Overall Book Score: very good