D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths

"I doubt I would have grown up to be the writer and artist I became had I not fallen in love with D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths at the age of seven."—R. J. Palacio, author of Wonder.

Now updated with a new cover and an afterword featuring never-before-published drawings from the sketchbook of Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire, plus an essay about their life and work and photos from the family achive.

In print for over fifty years, D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths has introduced generations to Greek mythology—and continues to enthrall young readers.

Here are the greats of ancient Greece—gods and goddesses, heroes and monsters—as freshly described in words and pictures as if they were alive today. 

No other volume of Greek mythology has inspired as many young readers as this timeless classic. Both adults and children alike will find this book a treasure for years to come. 

“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.”—The Horn Book

“The drawings . . . are excellent and excitingly evocative.”—The New York Times

A New York Public Library’s 100 Great Children’s Books|100 Years selection

An NPR 100 Must-Reads for Kids 9–14 selection"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." —The Horn Book

“The drawings . . . are excellent and excitingly evocative.” —The New York Times

"I still don’t know what made me fall so hard as a child for this collection . . . Regardless, the book is my first-line recommendation for even very young children for its age-appropriate abridgment and future madeleine de Proust illustrations." —"Katherine Marsh’s Favorite Greek Mythology Books for Young Readers", The New York Times

A New York Public Library’s 100 Great Children’s Books|100 Years selection

An NPR 100 Must-Reads for Kids 9–14 selectionINGRI D'AULAIRE and EDGAR PARIN D'AULAIRE first met in Munich, where both were studying art. Ingri had grown up in Norway; Edgar, the son of a noted Italian portrait painter, was born in Switzerland and had lived in Paris and Florence. Shortly after their marriage, they moved to the United States and began to create the picture books that established their reputation as two of the twentieth century’s most important children’s writers and illustrators. They won the Caldecott Medal in 1940 for Abraham Lincoln. 

During an extended trip to Greece, they studied and sketched the countryside, the people, and the architecture and artifacts of long ago. The result was D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths, the standard-bearer of mythology for children since its publication in 1962.CONTENTS

In Olden Times     9
Gaea, Mother Earth    10
The Titans     12

ZEUS and his Family    16
Hera      24
Hephaestus     28
Aphrodite     30
Ares      32
Athena      34
Poseidon     38
Apollo      42
Artemis      44
Hermes      50
Hades      56
Persephone and Demeter    58
Dionysus     64

MINOR GODS, Nymphs, Satyrs, and Centaurs  70
Prometheus     72
Pandora      74
Deucalion     76
Eos      80
Helios and Phaëthon    82
Selene      86
Pan      90
Echo      92
Syrinx      94
The Wild and Vulgar Centaurs   96
Asclepius     98
The Nine Muses     100
Orpheus      102

MORTAL DESCENDANTS OF ZEUS   106
Europa and Cadmus    108
Tantalus and Pelops    112
Danaüs, Perseus, and the Gorgon   114
Clever and Vainglorious Kings   123
King Midas     124
Sisyphus     126
Bellerophon     128
Melampus     130
Heracles     132
Theseus      148
Oedipus      158
The Golden Fleece    162
The Calydonian Boar Hunt   176
The Apples of Love and the Apple of Discord 178
Everything Must Come to an End   189

INDEX      190