Book review: "Classic Myths Dictionary", by María García Esperón
Author's note: The following review, which was published yesterday on Spanish language, refers to a book written and edited in Mexico. For the moment this book has no translation available to any other languages. It may content spoilers.
Past week someone borrowed this book to transcribe some chapters; the cover was gaudy because it represents Arachne, the young woman who challenged Athena to be the fastest manufacturer of fabrics. Whem I opened and read this book, I observe the illustrations made by Mijangos; I note that the black and orange colors predominate on them due to their use on the classical Greek art.
Although the illustrations are beautiful (or at least they are for me), what I liked the most from this book is the simple narrative in prose and verse that García and González handled; it's understandable because it is aimed at a child and youth audience, but even an adult can sit and read the gadgets of Ulysses to return home, the punishment of Sisyphus for tiring the patience of many people and divinities, the fate of Polyphemus when he meets Ulysses and his companions, and even the sad end of Echo and Narcissus, all that while stopping to observe the striking illustrations that embellish every page of the book. Its dictionary format gives the reader the easiness to locate a character of interest, either through the index or the list of equivalents placed at the end of the last story.
It's an entertaining, enriching book, awesome to read to the children before sleep or after doing homework; also is an excelent introduction to literature and mythology for the youth who want to create for themselves the habit of reading as a hobbie and not as an obligation. I also recommend it as a way to practice Spanish grammar and pronunciation for Spanish language students.
If you want to get a copy of this book, you can buy it on Amazon.
