Showing posts with label norse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label norse. Show all posts

Monday, October 23, 2023

Synergy: Exploring Lore


LORE is a collection of knowledge, traditions, beliefs, and stories held by a group of people and passed from through generations. Lore may be related to a specific subject, group, or location.


To understand a concept, it’s useful to read a cluster of books related to a theme. Explore these recently published books for young people:


LEGENDS OF NORSE MYTHOLOGY: ENTER A WORLD OF GODS, GIANTS, MONSTER AND HEROES written by Tom Birkett and illustrated by Isabella Mazzanti is a highly illustrated anthology of mythological characters and stories from Norse tradition. This fascinating reference includes over thirty profiles of key figures and retellings of their stories.


AN ATLAS OF AFTERLIVES: DISCOVER UNDERWORLDS, OTHERWORLDS AND HEAVENLY REALMS written by Emily Hawkins and illustrated by Manasawee Rojanaphan features dozens of myths connected with life after death. Organized by continent, the book includes both well-known and lesser-known places examining both the fact and fiction of each location.


A MISCELLANY OF MISCHIEF AND MAGIC: DISCOVER HISTORY’S BEST HOAXES, HIJINKS, TRICKS, AND ILLUSIONS written by Tom Adams and illustrated by Jasmine Floyd explores the world of deception. From pranksters and magicians to con-artists, this beautifully illustrated picture book features a wide range of fascinating people. Along with learning the secrets of magic and famous hoaxes, readers also explore a wide range of themes such as disguises and conspiracies.


LORE OF THE STARS: FOLKLORE AND WISDOM FROM THE SKIES ABOVE written by Claire Cock-Starkey and illustrated by Hannah Bess Ross examines folklore from around the world. Six chapters explore lore connected with the sky, sun, moon, stars, planets, comets and shooting stars, and cosmos.


ARC courtesy of Wide Eyed Editions, Quarto Group.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Book Review: Treasury of Norse Mythology

TREASURY OF NORSE MYTHOLOGY by Donna Jo Napoli is that latest book in the Treasury series featuring classic stories of intrigue, trickery, love, and revenge.
Napoli begins the book by discussing the origins of Norse mythology and introducing readers to the Norse gods. She provides resources for those interested in learning more about the Norse names.
Featuring well-known as well as lesser-known stories, each of the 18 stories is displayed in a large, easy-to-read font and illustrated with amazing paintings. Descriptions accompany each of the large illustrations. Of particular note are the intricate borders found on each page. In addition, many pages contain sidebars featuring historical information of interest to readers. Primary source documents are also woven into the text including an image from a 17th century illuminated manuscript.
The book concludes with a map and timeline, cast of characters, bibliography, and index.
While some of the names of gods, people, and places may be difficult for youth to pronounce, the storylines themselves will be easy to follow for middle grade readers.
With the popularity of Norse characters in movies, television shows, and computer games, librarians will find a large audience for this story collection. In addition to this book, librarians will also be interested in the titles focusing on Greek mythology and Egyptian mythology. The short stories are quick reads. Involve youth in reading a story and exploring more about the key characters.
Published by National Geographic on September 22, 2015.