Written by Crispin Boyer
Illustrated by Andy Elkerton
Published by Under the Stars (National Geographic), 2019
Review
Happy New Year!
Let's start the year off with a book we spent a couple months reading last year: Zeus the Mighty and the Quest for the Golden Fleas. Based on Greek mythology and set in a contemporary pet store that rehomes rescue animals, Zeus the Mighty is a delightful chapter book for young readers who like adventure, animals, and mythology. And if they aren't already familiar with mythology, that's no problem since back matter introduces the gods. Furthermore, National Geographic Kids has myriad extension activities for the books, including the myth podcast that the pet store owner listens to each day. Golden Fleas, Zeus mishears the legend of the Golden Fleece and enlists his fellow Olympians (Athena the cat, Ares the pug, Demeter the grasshopper, and Poseidon the pufferfish) to search for golden fleas. They explore the uncharted territory of the connecting store that is under renovation and ride on the Argo, a robot vacuum. It is funny, exciting, and sometimes unpredictable despite one's prior knowledge of how the original legend ends. Boyer does an exemplary job of recreating the events of Jason and the Argonauts with animals in Mount Olympus Pet Center.
I usually criticize talking-animal books. So why am I all agog to recommend Zeus? Two reasons:
2. the adventures closely follow the original myths
The Quest for the Golden Fleas is the first installment in a new series of illustrated chapter book and is an engaging expansion of the Greek world, both historical and mythological. T knows the myths and gods from D'Aulaires' and various picture books – he read a Jason and the Argonauts adaptation last month – and was delighted to connect the characters and events between books. As a first grader, T can read the text, but the font size and volume of words per page seemed to intimidate him initially; he read a few pages before it was my turn to finish the chapter, rather than trading off chapters like we usually do with shared reading. We just began the second book, and I am reading it aloud to him. I plan for us to return to shared reading with the third book.
1. consistency and logic
-Boyer's characters behave reasonably within the premise of rescued animals believing they are Greek gods living out legendary adventures in the setting of a pet store (unchristened animals are not anthropomorphized)
2. the adventures closely follow the original myths
-readers learn mythology alongside the hamster's adventure
I'd recommend it as a read-aloud for grades K-1, a shared read for grade 1, and an independent read for the intended audience of 8-12-year-olds.
The Quest for the Golden Fleas is the first installment in a new series of illustrated chapter book and is an engaging expansion of the Greek world, both historical and mythological. T knows the myths and gods from D'Aulaires' and various picture books – he read a Jason and the Argonauts adaptation last month – and was delighted to connect the characters and events between books. As a first grader, T can read the text, but the font size and volume of words per page seemed to intimidate him initially; he read a few pages before it was my turn to finish the chapter, rather than trading off chapters like we usually do with shared reading. We just began the second book, and I am reading it aloud to him. I plan for us to return to shared reading with the third book.
And we will for sure continue Zeus the Mighty. It is well worth our while.
Note: A review copy was provided upon request; all thoughts are our own.
Note: A review copy was provided upon request; all thoughts are our own.
Comments
Post a Comment