Venus

by Blake A. Hoena

Overview

Provides the story of Venus and her importance in Roman mythology, including her connection to such figures as Aeneas and Adonis, and describes the role of myths in the modern world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780736834575
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	09/01/2003
Series:	World Mythology
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	8.12(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.06(d)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Blake A. Hoena grew up in central Wisconsin, where he wrote stories about robots conquering the moon and trolls lumbering around the woods behind his parents house. He now lives in Minnesota and continues to write about fun things like space aliens and superheroes. Blake has written more than 100 chapter books and graphic novels for children.

Table of Contents

Venus — Greek and Roman mythical figures — About mythology — The birth of Venus — The goddess of love — Roman versus Greek myths — The Trojan War — Venus and Mars — Hippomenes and Atalanta — Mythology today.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-5-Each volume introduces its subject, gives information about the Greek and Roman pantheons, tells a few stories about the god or hero in question, and finishes with brief sections on "Mythology Today." The titles have a two-item list for further reading, a Web site (the same one in all three books), and an index so abbreviated as to be functionally useless. Each page of text is matched with a full-page illustration, generally either a classical piece of sculpture or a period painting. For example, Zeus features artwork by Paul Cezanne, Benvenuto Cellini, and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, among others. The prose is generally clear but somewhat lackluster, and though the information is adequate to introduce these figures, there is relatively little background on the cultures that produced them, leaving the myths without a firm cultural context. The glossaries contain 9 or 10 terms, most of which are defined in context. Attractive and nonthreatening, these are acceptable introductory books. Their greatest utility may lie in moving students on to more complex treatments of Greek and Roman mythology such as Fiona Macdonald's Gods and Goddesses in the Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks (2002) and Peter Hicks's Gods and Goddesses in the Daily Life of the Ancient Romans (2003, both Peter Bedrick).-Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

After providing a quick introduction to the featured mythological figure, each book in this series provides a good overview of what mythology is and how myths were passed on. A one-page chart in each book lists eight of the most famous mythological figures, giving Greek and Roman names and a one-sentence description of each god or goddess. The books move on to relay stories connected with the featured mythological figure. Each book is liberally illustrated with photos of paintings and statues by famous artists. Pronunciation keys within the text and in the glossary are helpful for teaching the correct pronunciation of unfamiliar names and places. Maps indicate places that appear in myths. There is some repetition between the books when general information is given about how and why myths came to be created and where we continue to see evidence of myths today. A short bibliography gives suggestions for more books to read, addresses to write to, and a Web site to visit for interested readers. I am sure that our sixth grade teacher will make use of this series when her class does the unit on myths. Many students will also enjoy reading these books just for pleasure. Glossary. Index. Recommended.

Library Media Connection

Recommended by Booklist in their "Series Roundup" section

Booklist