Trojan Horse Greeks Step Into Reading Step

Trojan Horse Greeks Step Into Reading Step

Illus. in full color. “An ancient history lesson emerges from this account of the way the Greeks tricked the Trojans and rescued Helen of Troy. The book is well tailored to younger readers with careful explanations and short sentences; a pronunciation guide is appended. Drawings portray the story’s main events. A nice supplement to units on ancient Greece or mythology.”–Booklist.  

From School Library JournalGrade 2-4 This basic vocabulary treatment presents the Trojan War on a scale that is less than epic. The plodding present-tense voice and pedestrian style are closely definitive in the way in which they bland the story out. “The chariots race around the battlefield. The Greeks chase the Trojans. The Trojans chase the Greeks.” Little’s fall of Troy has all of the excitement (and none of the tension) of being stuck in traffic for two hours. A much better treatment of the destruction of Troy, both in text and illustration, is James Reeves’ The Trojan Horse (Watts, 1968; o.p.). Reeves maintains the Homeric narrative in a less edited form: including, for example, the death of Laacoon, which Little omits. Reeves’ first-person voice gives rise to the vivid, immediate, and dramatic effects so suitable, even necessary, to the epicand so glaringly absent from Little’s bleached, textbook prose. The illustrations are representational but bland, done principally in shades of brown, buff, and gold with touches of blue and red. The bare bones of Homer’s epic is here, but it is not staged in a style that will inspire young readers. Ann Welton, Lake Dollof Elementary School, Auburn, Wash.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside FlapIllus. in full color. “An ancient history lesson emerges from this account of the way the Greeks tricked the Trojans and rescued Helen of Troy. The book is well tailored to younger readers with careful explanations and short sentences; a pronunciation guide is appended. Drawings portray the story’s main events. A nice supplement to units on ancient Greece or mythology.”–Booklist.  

Trojan Horse Greeks Step Into Reading Step Photo

Trojan Horse Greeks Step Into Reading Step Picture

Trojan Horse Greeks Step Into Reading Step Image

Trojan Horse Greeks Step Into Reading Step Photo

Most helpful client reviews

8 of 8 humans found the following review helpful.
good history resource
By S. Sayers
This step into reading book is geared for 2-4 grades. The chapters are short and wholly illustrated. The sentences are kept short but the story still remains interesting. There is a pronunciation guide at the back of the book for those strange names like Menelaus. Great reading for a unit study on Ancient Greece.

7 of 7 persons found the following review helpful.
My favored for the elementary set
By Heather Martin
I read assorted ‘Trojan War’ books while attempting to determine which to use for my 7-year-olds. I liked this one the best. It had nice illustrations and the story flowed somewhat well. The author cut out A LOT, but I felt it suitable for this age group. No blood and guts here!

This is not the definitive story of the Iliad. But it works as a tame introduction for 1st through 3rd graders. Even my 3-year-old listened in. I found them re-enacting the story for days later on and it was a continuous topic at dinner.

The next time around (5th grade) I’ll use Rosemary Sutcliff’s Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus. I think they’re fantastic retellings of the story, just a bit much for my little ones right now.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful.
Good Enough
By Gen
This book was good enough, or at least better than nothing, but giving careful consideration to the excitement of the topic it could have been written in a MUCH more engaging manner. The sentences are short and choppy and the whole narrative is just a bit blah. It didn’t even mention that Helen was “the face that launched a thousand ships.” How may you tell the story of the Trojan war without mentioning that?

Overall, though, it was a good way to tell the story to my basi grader. I’ll still keep my eyes open for a more stimulating version.

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