De Griekse Mythen (The Greek Myths)
Author: Els Pelgrom
Illustrator: Thé Tjong-Khing
Original language: Dutch
Translated into English:: not
Published: May 2011
Publisher: Lannoo
ISBN13: 9789020998382
Price: € 22.99 (HC)
Age: 10-12 years old and up
The third book of this month is called The Greek Myths and it is beautifully written by Dutch author Els Pelgrom. Well-known and lesser-known Greek heroes and characters are featured in this book, such as Perseus, Dionysus and Achilles, amongst very many others.
And such fun, the women in this book are not inferior to the men, we read about Io & Zeus, Artemis, Persephone and Hesta to name just a few. Also a lot of background information is given with the stories and there are maps to consult the book too.
Just a little tip: Read the stories yourself first, because they are sometimes very exciting or intense. There are also books for teens of 9-10 years old included. But not everyone can handle brutal bloody murders, so do mind.
The coloured illustrations by Thé Tjong Khing speak for themselves, they bring the Greek Heroes and heroines to life! Thé Tjong Khing started drawing for the Marten Toonder Studio and, he drew comics for Tina Magazine. In 1970 he was asked to illustrate a book that led to a switch from drawing comics to illustrating children's books.
He has won the Golden Paintbrush three times, in 1978, 1985 en 1986. In 2005 he won the Woutertje Pieterse Prize for his own picture book Where is the Cake? and in 2010 he received the Max Velthuijs Prize for his entire oeuvre. Be sure to take a look around his beautiful website, to see what he has drawn!
3 bright stars for De Griekse Mythen (The Greek Myths), from the young readers and the out-loud readers!