This collection contains stories from Herodotus’s Histories, retold for children by Alfred J. Church, headmaster of Henley Grammar School in England in the mid-19th century. Church adapted classical works for younger readers, including stories from Greek tragedians and the companion to this volume, Story of the Persian War, composed of Herodotus’s account of the encounters between the Greeks and Persians in the 5th C BC.

The present volume contains eighteen short chapters of 10-14 pages each that outline the stories of Croesus, Cyrus, and Darius.  The stories here make up roughly the first half of Herodotus’s Histories, giving the flavor of the large work itself.  Church includes the famous encounter between Solon and King Croesus where the question is asked, “how does one deem a life happy?”  Also included is the vignette where Croesus consults and misinterprets the oracles, a story that lends itself to reflection and greater thought.  In addition to the tales of the kings, Church incorporates Herodotus’s cultural reflections, including the manners of Egyptians and Scythians.  With his collection, Church gives the young reader a sense of the breadth of the Histories.

Church’s retelling is engaging enough to entertain a younger audience when read aloud, but the older elementary school student or young teenager can also read the stories on their own.  Church’s charming and fluid language make the book literature in its own right.  Most importantly, Church conveys the drama and importance of Herodotus’s great work that urge the reader to take on more Herodotus or—at the very least—to mull over some of the questions Herodotus forces us to ask. - Sarah Klitenic Wear