Category Myths and Legends

Little Minotaur

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Little Minotaur
Gaia Alessi
Walker Books

In this book, debut author Gaia Alessi reimagines the ancient Greek myth of the Minotaur with Asterion (the ‘Starry One’) as a bull-headed boy born to Queen Pasiphaë, growing up in a loving family, rather than as a monster to be slain. Asterion is a gentle child who loves nothing better than to spend his time out in nature especially among the birds. The boy struggles to speak and sounds like a foghorn when he does but his mother isn’t bothered by his manner of speaking; neither is his sister Ariadne.

Then, one summer’s day the brother and sister come upon some children hunting a lizard and they manage to scare them away thanks to the sound that emanates from Asterion’s mouth.

However, as he grows in size and stature, rumours about the so-called ‘Minotaur’, a half-man, half-beast nightmare that eats two people at a time, spreads among the people of Crete.

Can he fight the people’s prejudice and show them that he’s not the frightening monster they think he is, the one that should be slain; instead he’s merely a misunderstood boy who deserves love and understanding. Perhaps he can even engineer his own ending …

A moving story that celebrates difference and how love’s power can overcome animosity and malevolence. Gais Alessi’s mixed media illustrations capture the siblings’ feelings superbly as well as beautifully evoking the natural world so loved by Asterion and his family.

Mighty Myths

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Mighty Myths
Thiago de Moraes
Scholastic

Readers are under the wing of two ravens that act as guides and safe keepers introducing us to a richness of detail relating to the stories, their characters and settings presented in an engaging and entertaining manner.

First off is a spread about places to avoid for fear of scary beasties and this is followed by a Mythological Height Chart with a line up of ‘legendary creatures great and small’ including our two ravens. Here you will find details of where you might encounter such creatures and what they look like.

There are also spreads about dragons, creatures with a predilection for dining on humans and a ‘god food guide’. You’ll get an opportunity to spend a day in Kur – the underworld of ancient Mesopotamia and another in Xibalab – the ancient Mayan underworld.

Inevitably there will be giants – both horrible and fairly friendly and some pretty alarming. The tiny folk aren’t overlooked and get a spread too – watch out for the mischief makers though. There’s a spread about objects of power including Odin’s spear and Ganesha’s tusk (not so alarming that one).

My favourite part though is the retellings of myths from various cultures and I especially enjoyed finding some that were new to me. One such is Don’t Mess with the Spider Goddess, a story from the Aiu people of Japan telling how Yushkep Kamui got the better of a large grumpy demon intent on marrying her.

Should you wish to know why bats sleep during the day then there’s a story from Sierra Leone told as an explanation.

With fantastical, mock scary, occasionally disturbing illustrations, this is a thoroughly engaging, fun book for school collections and family bookshelves. (A publisher’s note at the beginning of the book states that although this book presents myths in a fun way, many are of great significance to some societies and religions, something to remember when sharing them.)