Oh My Gods! (Mythlopedia): A Look-It-Up Guide to the Gods of Mythology

"Oh My Gods!: A Look-it-Up Guide to the Gods of Mythology" is an encyclopedia by Megan E. Bryant, and is only one of a series of books in the Scholastic series, meant for late elementary or junior high school students; covering Greek mythology at a basic introductory level - not intended as exhaustive, comprehensive coverage of any and all within that topic. The book's best feature is the large illustrations and artwork that permeate cover to cover, including the cover. The purpose of the book doesn't speak to WHY that age level of present and future generations need to be familiar with Greek mythology quite as thoroughly or convincingly as it probably should; ergo the application into understanding ancient customs, beliefs, value systems, and how they impact contemporary academics, just doesn't quite have the support otherwise possible. The quality of editing, publishing, and light-hearted authorship are to be commended. Included are the table of contents, glossary, index, recommend further study resources (including web sites), and start to finish the organization of the book is very professional. Each Greek God of mythology has information given regarding genealogy (ancestry, spouse, siblings, & descendents), love interests, friends, foes, and pets. Covered Greek Gods include:Apollo - shot an arrow into Achilles heel; known for laurel wreath headwear as a tribute to Daphne.Ares - known for violence and bloodshed of war (half-sister Athena contrastingly known for strategy).Asclepius - origin of the medical symbol of medicine, the caduceus.Atlas - holds the sky on his shoulders (depicted in art as being the planet earth).Cronus - Greek God of the ancient prosperous Golden Age.Dionysus - known for wine making & revelry.Eros (more commonly known as Cupid) - known for inspiring love & passion.Hades - Greek God of the Underworld, the dead, and death. Some information is given for Cerberus, the Underworld, and the river Styx.Helios - Greek God of the sun (Sol).Hephaestus - creator of Pandora.Hermes (Roman version was Mercury) - inventor of lyre & flute, and had winged shoes that traveled both the earth and the Underworld.Pan - associated with Satyrs; Greek God of jokes & tricks (origin for the word "panic"); and invented the Pan pipe.Poseidon - Greek God of floods, earthquakes, and storms at sea; creator of the horse; known for his scepter the trident.Prometheus - creator of man, Greek God of forethought and planning.Uranus - father to Cyclops, Aphrodite, and Atlas; grandfather to Zeus; father of Titans; creator of thunderbolt (Zeus) and trident (Poseidon); and the cloak worn by Uranus was the night sky.Wind Gods - personification of the winds; Boreas, Zephyrus, Auster, and Vulturnus.Zeus - king of Mt. Olympus; Greek God of rain; creator of Olympics (games of competition for sport).Other than those main Greek Gods of mythology, there are genealogy charts for the union of Uranus & Gaea; and some reference material for the Titans and Olympians of that time period; and basic introduction to the constellations of Greek mythology.For illustrations and composition, I'd give this book at the very least 5 stars; for how well it covers the topic material of its title, I'd give this book 1 star; and for how it is kept geared to its intended audience, I'd give this book 3 stars. This book is written above a reading level of early elementary children, and therefore although heavily illustrated, requires an adult to read the text for children under 10 years of age. Ultimately I have to admit this book is what it should be and therefore on average I'm saying overall I rate it at perhaps slightly over 3 stars.For more serious students interested in more than introductory level ancient Greek and Roman mythology, I recommend "Dictionary of Classical Mythology" by J. E. Zimmerman; which although much more comprehensive, is still somewhat abridged for portability. Along with the recommend books and websites given by "OMG Encyclopedia," Amazon dot com offers DVD documentaries such by A&E "Ancient Mysteries - Myths & Legends" by John Swanson; by The History Channel "Gods and Goddesses"; and by In Search Of History "The Greek Gods (History Channel)."

I was looking for a book with short, accessible versions of Greek/Roman myths and facts about the Olympian gods. If you are looking for something similar, this is the book to get!!First, the writing is funny and accessible for tweens-teenagers. Each God gets a funny catch phrase (Dionysis is "Party On", Hades is "I See Dead People") and a profile that details the top 10 things to know about him. Then in each God's section there are short retellings of different myths. There are also some fun cartoons that add extra information about the world of classical mythology.This book is excellent because it introduces not just the Olympian gods, but also the Titans and various other deities like Pan, Helios, and Ascelpius. It's also great because it gives good overview of some lesser known myths. My students have learned probably about as much about mythology from the Percy Jackson books as I did in college, so I was glad that this book had touched on some less common myths--all of which are school and child appropriate. It doesn't go into a lot of detail, but it's an awesome jumping off point for studying mythology.The tone is light-hearted and fun. My 6-8th graders all LOVE this series. It's one of the books that's most often off of my shelf. I highly recommend getting the She's All That mythlopedia along with this one, to include the goddesses in all of the fun.

Can't tell you anything it is for a present in November

I bought this book and What A Beast! for my son as he read the first Percy Jackson book. He had many questions about the origin of the characters and their stories. No doubt Rick Riordan opened up a new world of mythology for many children. There are background stories that are alluded to in the series that interested my son. This book engages the children with fun short descriptions of each of the Gods. Everytime a new God was introduced in the series, my son turned back to this book for more info. It was very helpful to him and he has spent hours reading it so far. Not an indepth view of Greek Mythology if that is what you are looking for here.

I bought this book for my boys, ages 7 and 9, to go along with our Greek mythology study, and they instantly LOVED it. They carried it around with them for days, and even now over a month later, they still pick it up every couple of days to read it. They laugh and point out funny details and repeat everything back to me. They liked it so much, I came back to order the other books in the series, which they love just as well. The books put everything together for them and help them make connections from one god/goddess to another. My only problem with it would be that some of the cartoons and captions are kind of on the silly side, but that's obviously just *my* problem....it makes my boys love the book even more. :)

Both my 6 year old son and I have an interest in Greek mythology. This book has been a very good resource that has added to our knowledge of the subject in a fun and interesting manner. We have read through most of the book and also used it as a reference book.I wouldn't recommend this book as a beginner book on this subject, but feel it is good to add knowledge and reinforce existing knowledge. Would also think that it would normally be suitable for slightly older children than my son.

We used this along with Rosemary Sutcliff's adaptation of "The Iliad", "Black Ships Before Troy." It was a perfect match. I would have the kids read about and write a summary on one of the Gods each day. We also had great fun playing the Top Trump Greek Gods card game.

Bought this for my daughter when she expressed an interest in learning more about Mythology. It's been a hit and she likes the jokes and the artwork. I wish I had known that the goddesses in this book are only referenced in relation to the particular god they are talking about. I thought this was the base book for the Mytholpedia books and the rest were more specific. I'm going to be getting her Oh my Goddess soon, would have bought them both at the same time if I knew.

Good for younger readers.

A good general knowledge book for my daughter who is reading another book in this topic area. This book lends a good insight to the topic.