Tales from the Odyssey: Part 1 by Mary Pope Osborne
Tales from the Odyssey recounts some of the most well-known stories from Odysseus’ adventures to fight for his country and get back to his wife, son, and parents.
The only problem is he has to survive an angry cyclops, hungry cannibal giants, and a beautiful witch who captures men.
Will Odysseus ever make it back home?
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LJR’s Thoughts for Tales from the Odyssey
Tales from the Odyssey is a great introduction to the ancient tales written by Homer. If you’ve read The Odyssey , then you understand there is only so much you can do to make these tales clean and child-friendly before you’re left with just the title. The illustrations are clean but there are descriptions of the violence that occurs. See below for how detailed. Overall, I know this will be a book my 11-year-old will be okay with independently. I think as young as nine could be okay with it but you’ll want to read aloud so you can alter parts that may be too intense for your kiddo. The action and adventure are great and Odysseus is a wonderful (though flawed) hero.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5
Christian Morals/Values: 2 out of 5
Story: 5 out of 5
Read-Aloud Value: 4 out of 5
Discussion Value: 5 out of 5
Recommended Post: Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus
Content Considerations for Tales from the Odyssey: Part 1
In our usual LJR fashion, we try to find anything that Christian families may want to know about ahead of time to address, skip, or dig deeper into. Take a look at what we found below. Our take on Discipleship Opportunities is at the bottom of the review.
- Positive Behavior: Odysseus is a great leader who always tries to protect his men on his adventures despite the overwhelming odds to do so. He loves his wife, Penelope, and adores his son, Telemachus. All accounts suggest he loves and honors his aging parents as well. He’s an admired leader who faces lesser-of-two-evils type challenges throughout his journey to fight for his country and return home to his family.
- Negative Behavior: As mentioned above, Odysseus faces challenges where there really is no good choice and sometimes needs to make questionable decisions.
- Language: None
- Violence/Intense Scenes: Odysseus and his men are in danger often. The men are attacked, beaten, and even eaten by different creatures.
- Religion/Spirituality: The men believe in the Greek gods and sacrifices made to the gods. They also believe bad things happen to them because the gods are angry. There are statues of the Greek gods and the gods become characters at times. Substances are given occasionally that alter the men’s/creature’s mental state. Someone might see it as a potion but it’s really very light.
- Racism/Discrimination: None
- Romance/Sexuality: Odysseus is married and longs to return to his wife. The mention of the suitors when Odysseus is gone is so light I honestly can’t remember whether we are even told that they’re suitors.
- Substance Usage: Substances are given occasionally that alter the men’s/creature’s mental state. It could be seen as a potion or an alcoholic substance. There is possibly mention of alcohol.
Discipleship Opportunities
- You will definitely want to discuss Odysseus’ most difficult battle of choosing between bad vs. bad decisions. James 1 and Proverbs may be a good place to discuss wisdom.
- Another prominent theme is the worship and presence of ‘gods’. Addressing the one true and living God and the powerlessness of other ‘gods’ might be a great place to start. I personally love what Jeremiah 10:5 – 7, 10-11 says about this.
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