This Spanish adaptation of the Odyssey is my recommendation to anyone looking for a version of the Homeric epic for young readers who aren’t quite up to original yet. After a short description of the Trojan war for context, it retells the events of the Odyssey in full. The narrative is rearranged chronological order, but otherwise follows the Homeric text. While not exactly a picture book, there are several beautiful illustrations inspired by ancient Minoan frescoes. Adaptor Rafeal Mammos divides the story into 32 short, episodic chapters, which makes it easy to pick up and put down, perhaps as bedtime reading or reading practice for non-native Spanish speakers. He writes clearly in the Spanish of Spain, but still manages to include some of Homer’s language. Odysseus, or rather, Ulises, is “rico en ingenious” and Atenes [Athena] is “de ojos brillantes.” 

Readers and adults should be aware that one of this book’s strengths, its fidelity to the original, does not always make for easy reading. It preserves many, but not quite all, of the violent aspects of the Homeric story. The cyclops Polyphemus makes a meal out of Odysseus’ men in the usual brutal way, and the fate of Odysseus’ unfaithful female slaves is the same as in the Odyssey.  Also, the hardbavk version is far better than the paperback, which is missing the illustrations and uses a tiny font that is difficult to read. – Krishni Burns