This book is part of Grupo Editorial Luis Vives’ series Colección Mitos Clasicos. Unlike most children’s books about Odysseus, it includes several episodes from Odysseus’ early life. His wanderings still get the lion’s share of attention, but author Ricardo Gómez also describes his youth and some of his exploits in the Trojan War. It makes a great first introduction to the mythology behind the Homeric text, since it fills in all the backstory that the Odyssey assumes we already know. Gómez references the Odyssey as the source of the many of the tales he skips over. Of the famous wanderings, only the Cyclops episode is told in full. 

Gómez is careful to keep his narrative child-friendly, and illustrator Mariona Cabassa is equally careful to avoid any lingering sting. She adopts a style that suggests children’s crayon drawings executed by the hand of a master artist. The backgrounds are made up of scribbled patches of color, and the mythological creatures are bright, candy-colored abstracts. The overall impression is unique and may inspire young artists to follow her example.

The book is published in Spain, which makes it a little hard to find in the United States. Still, persistent searches on various online booksellers’ websites will turn up copies for sale, and you can order the book through the website of the publisher, Edelvives (Grupo Editorial Luis Vives).   – Krishni Burns