I love this series and plan to use it in my classroom as a jumping off point at the beginning of a research project!

'40 Inspiring Icons: Greek Gods and Heroes: Meet 40 mythical immortals' by Sylvie Baussier with illustrations by Almasty is an infographic type look at famous Greek gods.

From Gaia to Odysseus, the mythological characters are featured in a somewhat chronological manner. Each character gets a data sheet with a brief synopsis of their story and stats like who they are related to or how they died. The facing page includes a simplified (icon style) drawing of the character including any artifacts or animals associated with them.

There are a good range of types of characters represented here. The character bios are good summaries, and I liked the art used in the book.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

This book has interesting information on mythology in a format that will appeal to many. The icons are similar to minecraft figures which will make this material approachable to those who love that format.

A comprehensive concise introduction to a very big subject. A great first resource to Greek gods and their mythology.

Title: Greek Gods & Heroes

Author: Sylvie Baussier

Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions

Genre: Children's Nonfiction

Publish day: August 2, 2018

Downloaded from: Netgalley



Rating: 🥄🥄🥄🥄


Review: Interesting and good for anyone who has a child interested in the Greek Gods & heroes or doing this topic in school and wanting more toward it.

I have always been fascinated by Greek Mythology and over the years, have read several different books about it, this is a good one for people who want a brief introduction to many of the Gods, Titans and Immortals. The book is written in two-page chapters, highlighting a different entity in each. The accompanying graphics are attractive and colourful. but not everyone likes the style. They are well researched with accurate facts and figures on each of the figures. Some of the myths are simplified for the young target audience, but I think the reader/parent or caregiver needs to pre-read this book before letting young children read it. The Gods often participated in disturbing behaviour such as incest, eating other gods, or children, that might not be appropriate for younger children. As well as the myths associated with them, each portrait includes genealogy, allies, enemies and history. Even though I am an adult, I learned some things from the book and there were some heroes and immortals that I was not familiar with. This is a great resource book for lovers of literature as there is often mention of stories or characters from mythology that may not be familiar to readers and this would give them a quick background. A great addition to school or public libraries. The publisher, Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions, generously provided me with a copy of this book to read. The rating, ideas and opinions stated are my own.

The 40 Inspiring Icons series from Quarto’s Wide Eyed Editions is a collection of books that introduce 40 people or groups who are famous in their field through short biographies. The current range includes Music Legends, Soccer Stars, People of Peace, and Greek Gods & Heroes.

Each of the four books in the 40 Inspiring Icons series so far begins with a short introduction before launching into the bios which are presented in roughly chronological order. Every bio is spread over two pages and includes a stylized cartoon of the person or group, a one-paragraph introduction to them and what they’ve done to earn a place in the book, and a handful of extra interesting facts, figures, dates, or other relevant information. Each one is very much an introduction to the person or group and is designed with kids in mind so the books work hard to keep it simple, don’t expect to read a detailed history here and fans won’t learn anything new.

Music Legends
My favorite of the four 40 Inspiring Icons books so far was Music Legends which introduced 40 groups and singers from the 1950s to today. The book contains many of the artists you would expect to find in its pages, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, but there are many who were perhaps more unexpected such as New Order and The Velvet Underground. By far the strangest inclusion was Arcade Fire who, at least in my opinion, haven’t earned the title of “legend” yet – certainly not when the likes of Metallica and Guns N Roses have been excluded. Opinion is a really key word here because this book is bound to provoke outrage over the artists it has included over those it has not. There’s a definite lean toward British indie bands here too, perfect for me, but likely to upset fans of pop, hip-hop, and other genres.

I also found it odd that in several group illustrations, band members were left out with no explanation. Queen’s illustration only includes two of the four members, as does the image of Depeche Mode, while Radiohead’s illustration depicts three of their total five – yet other bands are depicted in their entirety with eight people are squeezed into the image of the Wu-Tang Clan so this clearly isn’t an issue of space. A band line-up is rarely included in the facts which means that these missing group members are never even referred to by name, they are simply ignored. If you can let this slide, however, this is a fun introduction to many classic music artists that will prompt discussion and, hopefully, inspire you to listen to new music with your kids.

People of Peace
The next 40 Inspiring Icons title – People of Peace – introduces protestors, artists, philosophers, scientists, politicians, and more who have worked to make our world a more peaceful place. Of the four books, this is easily the one most likely to inspire deep, thought-provoking conversations and is a great reference to have around for homework or further reading after watching the news. Again, the line-up contains many faces you would expect to see such as Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King, but there were also many names I didn’t know and many more who I did know but for other reasons, not their commitment to peace – such as Pablo Picasso and Victor Hugo.

One of my criticisms of this book comes from the assumptions it makes regarding prior knowledge. This is very much a primer for kids, yet things like the House Un-American Activities Committee are referenced with no explanation of what they were/are. You could take this as an opportunity to dig deeper and continue learning elsewhere, but in a kids primer, I believe it would be best to keep it simple and include clear explanations of anything mentioned in passing like this.

I found this book the most educational of the bunch and it made me want to go away and learn more about the people it introduced which is all you can really hope for from a book like this.

Soccer Stars
The first 40 Inspiring Icons book I actually read was Soccer Stars (titled Fantastic Footballers outside the US). I am not a football fan beyond supporting my country, but England had been performing well in the 2018 World Cup and I was riding a high which inspired me to pick it up. The book features players from every continent as well as a handful of female players which I was really pleased to see considering how easy it would have been for the authors to ignore the women’s game entirely.

Anyone familiar with the beautiful game, even in passing, will know many of the players here – Beckham, Ronaldo, Messi, and Pele are household names the world over. However, I asked my husband, a far bigger soccer fan than me, to look over the contents page which lists all the bios included in the book and he believes that Soccer Stars is likely to be even more controversial than Music Legends for who it excludes and some of the lesser players who have taken their place. He pointed out the inclusion of Paul Pogba over Thierry Henry from France or Marco Veratti over Roberto Baggio from Italy as particularly odd choices. This has possibly been done partly to balance the names out so someone is included from every continent, despite the vast majority of internationally renowned players hailing from Europe and South America.

Again, this book is designed as an introductory primer so the bios are short and cannot possibly include everything there is to know about a player – especially those with long careers or those who have done other things of note away from the pitch. Yet it does a good job of giving you a flavor of who these people are and why they have become as well-known as they are.

Greek Gods and Heroes
The final title so far – Greek Gods and Heroes – is possibly the oddest inclusion to the 40 Inspiring Icons series because it is the only one of the four to focus on fictional people over real ones. The bizarre nature of Greek mythology also means it’s the hardest to wrap your head around thanks to the endless inbreeding and confused relationships, with Zeus alone responsible for a large proportion of the mess. The book does attempt to present itself in chronological order moving down the Olympian family tree, but when people are frequently having children with their own parents, the issue does become slightly confused!

Most adults will have heard of the majority of the figures in this book – Zeus, Apollo, Medusa, and Achilles for example, but there are several lesser-known figures included here as well such as Asclepius, Tantalus, and Iphigenia. And while most of us are probably aware of these figures and have a vague recollection of what they did (Jason with his Argonauts, Achilles and his heel), we’re perhaps not as familiar with the details of their stories. I found myself shocked at just how twisted many of the tales were, despite having a general familiarity with Greek mythology. This is one book I would recommend reading along with or before your kids because some of the contents could be upsetting to those with a more sensitive disposition.

As with People of Peace, I also found that this book would introduce something without explaining it in enough detail, or would hint at things and never explain them in full. A specific example can be found in the Dionysus bio. It tells us how Hera (Dionysus’s step-mother of a sort) spent years attempting to kill Dionysus and to drive him mad, yet a note in his family tree shows that he and Hera had a child together. How on Earth did that happen? No explanation is included…

40 Inspiring Icons Series
I really loved the 40 Inspiring Icons book series and am excited to see more of them in the future as the scope for potential topics is enormous. While all four could use a little editorial clean-up and there are issues over who is included and who isn’t, they work great as introductions or quick reminders in their subject areas and I would highly recommend all four.

GeekMom received these books for review purposes.

Love this nice book about Greek Gods and Heroes. It is a good introductory book to Greek mythology for young children. A crisp and sharp layout with beautiful illustrations, "Greek Gods and Heroes" is an excellent addition to the "40 Inspiring Icons" of the series by Wide Eyed Editions.

Pros:
- Family Trees are provided for each icons
- Brief and succinct major facts and/or distinctive features of the gods and heros
- Nice graphics


Cons:
- If any, an inclusion of pronunciations would help young kids to pronounce the names correctly with little help from adults

Overall, a great and enjoyable read for children or anyone who desires a quick Greek Myths 101 crash course.

A quick overview of the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece. We enjoyed reading through and learning little tidbits about the different heroes and gods who were so vital to the Greek culture.

The format of this book (using a mix of images, graphics, and text) makes it appealing to children. Very informative and includes gods/goddesses that maybe new to students. Would love to include in a classroom library and share with students.

This is really interesting book which is primarily aimed at children but could be enjoyed by adults and children alike. Each hero has a two page spread with brightly coloured illustration and bite sized facts laying out who were, what they did and how they fit into the wider picture of ancient Greece. The order of the heroes has also been well thought out and it is clear there is a flow between them and its almost like adding colour to a once black and white image of Ancient Greek history which is transformed with colour. I would really recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Greek history who wants to learn more or refresh existing knowledge.

Sylvie Baussier is a prolific writer of children's books which are usually written in French, her mother tongue. Having studied General Literature, she then became an editor of encyclopaedias and later, a journalist. She now devotes herself fully to the work of writing books for children from her home in France.

I have previously read a few books in the fantastic "40 Inspiring Icons" non-fiction series and "Greek Gods and Heroes" was just as successful at holding my attention and being informative without becoming overwhelming, as the others have been. I have always been fascinated by Greek Mythology and have read several different books about it over the years, this is definitely one of the best and most enjoyable for both adults and children.

The books holds information on 40 different gods, godesses, heroes and heroines of Greek Mythology, including Gaia, Zeus, Prometheus, Pandora, Athena, Hades, Persephone, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Hermes, Dionysus, Medusa, Minotaur, Antigone, Orpheus, Helen and Achilles, to name but a few. The accompanying graphics are attractive and colourful. Well researched with accurate facts and figures on each of the figures, some of the myths are simplified for the young target audience. I cannot think of a better book that is such an excellent introduction to the subject. As well as the myths associated with them, each portrait includes the person's genealogy, allies, enemies and history. Even the Roman names of each are included and Baussier uses humour to good effect keeping you entertained throughout.

This is a throughly entertaining book that I have no hesitation in recommending to youngsters and adults alike. Some of the information may be deemed too simplified for adults with prior knowledge of mythology but would be great for anyone looking for a concise introduction. I would say that if you are planning to read this to your children or gifting a copy to a child, I recommend them being an older child as some of the stories feature some pretty gruesome topics such as incest, revenge, and all manner of violent events.

Many thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

I've always loved Greek mythology and this book is wonderful! Simple and informative text accompany a profile of the Greek gods, titans and heroes with colorful graphics. Well researched and includes the Roman names as well. Some myths are a bit simplified for a younger audience but that doesn't take anything away from the stories. A great book for learning about Greek mythology at any age, I will definitely get this one for my boys!

Thank you Netgalley and Wide Eyed Editions for an advanced copy of this book.

Explaining in a simple, easy way Greek gods to the young audience is not an easy task nowadays, given their complicated relationships and the eventful lives. This books succeeds to make their encounters readable while keeping the young reader entertained, without diminishing the overall quality of the information. Each feature of the 40 gods and heroes is accompanied by a short comprehensive genealogy. It is a recommended reads for audiences between 7 to 10, and can be easily used as a companion to culture and history lessons about Greece. Both teachers and librarians will definitely appreciate this book.
The illustrations though are not the strong point of this book.

A so-so reference book for Greek myths, but the myths are just that – stories – and I really didn't take to them being told to me in incredibly bitty bullet points and scattershot fashion. You'd be much better served with a straight guide to the legends and characters, which would be much more fun. One and a half stars.

Perhaps it was the format that I received this e-book in, but it was nearly unreadable. I also found the layout confusing, and very hard to follow. The illustrations were amateurish at best. This book needs a total rewrite!

A primer on the most famous Greek myths, though there’s bound to be a few annoyed at not being included. Purportedly a children’s book, but the vocabulary and literary content seems at youngest for teenagers, so I’m not including it in a children’s book blog.
The icons look 8-bit, perhaps on purpose, and they’re used in the table of contents, rather than names, which is awesome. Pandora is the closest to human, but even she looks weird, probably because she has practically no nose. Aphrodite is of course blonde, as is Apollo, who looks like a vain surfer dude.
The first is Gaia, showing the page format: a brief description, several other info boxes, a large graphic representation, and so on.
Always happy when I can learn some things too. For example, Themis, who isn’t as well known, was Zeus’ second wife, before Hera (good luck remembering the first!). She was the Fates’ mommy as well as the Goddess of Justice; she was the Delphi oracle before Apollo took it over.
Hera sure got the worst role of any goddess.
“Artemis rarely kills wild animals.” Oh, that’s nice. “She prefers to attack those women who disagree with her or who insult her mother.” And so much for nice. . .
I did not know Sisyphus was the father of Odysseus.
But again, I simply can’t call this a children’s book, as it goes too far into explanations that should have been much simpler for kids. This is probably better for teens, and a lot of adults will like it.
After all this, Orpheus is still my fave.

“Don’t know much about history” croons the old Baby Boomer song, but for me that should be mythology instead. So GREEK GODS AND HEROES came to the rescue just in time. I learned about 40 gods, goddesses, heroes and heroines of Greek Mythology, including Gaia, Zeus, Prometheus, Pandora, Athena, Antigone, Orpheus, Helen and Achilles. Also found out about their genealogy, allies, enemies, history, and the myths associated with each. Can I call myself a Greek Goddess now? Highly recommended!

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Wide Eyed Editions and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my true review.

#GreekGodsAndHeroes #NetGalley

Love love love love LOVE IT! I love the flat-style illustrations so much, and I love the layouts/page design. For adults, the information provided is a little bit inadequate, so obviously it is for kids. My eleven-year-old sister loves it, so I will get a copy when it hit the shelves.
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Overall: 4.5/5
Cover: 5/5
Content: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Appealing: 5/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Page Design: 5/5

Visual and factual masterpiece! I am compelled to read every book in this new series! Wide Eyed Editions is one of best imprints for kids nonfiction.