In ancient Greece, the gods control every life, from peasant to King. When newborn Princess Atalanta is left to die on a mountainside because her father wanted a son, the gods send a bear to care for her. Adopted by a woodsman, she grows into a great hunter and athlete, and is eventually reunited with her father, the King. But as she gets older, Atalanta has no use for the gods and gives them no credit. When she must run the most important race of her life, on which her future happiness rides, the gods intercede once more–and Atalanta learns they will not be ignored forever.
Intermediate (ages 9-14)
Material appropriate for intermediate age groups
King Midas and the Golden Touch
King Midas is not a cruel man, but his passion for gold surpasses all else, save his love for his daughter.If only everything he touched would turn to gold! When Midas is granted that single wish, he rejoices — until he nearly loses his beloved child to his greed.
The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm
A dejected soldier makes a pact with the devil in this haunting, ultimately hopeful fairy tale. When a person gives up hope, is he still human? Such is the story of a soldier who has lost everything to war: his childhood home, his family and friends, his youth, and his innocence. Enter that sly opportunist, the devil, who wraps the soldier in the armor of a dead bear’s skin, fills its pockets with gold, and makes a dangerous and horrible wager.
Ariadne Awake
Ariadne, Minos’s daughter and the Minotaur’s half-sister, learns love’s price after falling for her father’s handsome prisoner, Theseus, in an evocative, beautifully illustrated retelling of an ancient myth.
Three Perfect Peaches: A French Folktale
The king offers his daughter’s hand in marriage to the young man who can produce three perfect peaches.
The Hero and the Minotaur
Worthy quests, marvelous rescues, and timeless adventure: this is the story of Prince Theseus and the amazing trials that befall him when he vows to become a hero then sets out to prove his courage.
On his journey, Theseus will meet Ariadne, a brave princess, and a remarkable boy named Icarus. Together the three devise an exhilarating, desperate plan to slay a strange and terrible beast, known to all as the Minotaur.
The Trojan Horse
A retelling of the famous Greek myth follows Helen, the beautiful wife of King Menelaus of Greece, as she falls in love with Paris, the son of the King of Troy, and flees with him to Troy, an act that begins the Trojan War.
Finn Maccoul and His Fearless Wife: A Giant of a Tale from Ireland
The giant Finn MacCoul is a lovable but cowardly fellow who finds himself in a peck of trouble after that nasty Scottish bully, Cucullin, tries to pick a fight. Abided by a wee bit of fairy magic, Finn’s clever wife, Oonagh, comes up with a hilarious plan: Finn will hop in the cradle and pose as his own baby. Then Cucullin will be in for a great big surprise.
Persephone
A beautifully illustrated retelling of the ancient Greek myth about the seasons describes how Hades, god of the underworld, kidnaps Persephone, the daughter of the goddess Demeter, to be his wife.
The Well of the Wind
Two orphaned children manage to outwit a witch and return to their rightful home.