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.
