If you think that Greek mythology is just for older children, adults and those studying for exams in Ancient History, then you are very much mistaken. Usborne Publishing have taken the Greek Myth concept and created a stunning, interactive jigsaw book for younger children, providing a way of interesting little ones in Greek myths, even before they could be introduced to them in a little more depth as in Usborne’s Greek Myths miniature edition.
The Greek Myths Jigsaw Book (Usborne 2005, ISBN 0 7460 7069) is an ideal gift for a young child who has or is about to start reading independently. It is a large, heavyweight book, made of extremely thick card on its cover, supplemented by pages which are just about equally as thick and strong, thus limiting damage from bending by little fingers.
Both front and back are highly illustrated with mythical characters and gold gilt has been used to full effect, to make a stunning front cover. The high level of illustration continues inside on the title page, too, providing talking points between parent and child, looking at this book together.
Picture and Story Content
The Greek Myths Jigsaw Book contains six of the most popular Greek myths: The Trojan Horse (named The Wooden Horse here), The Six-headed Monster (part of the adventures of Odysseus), Jason and the Argonauts, The Golden Fleece (another Jason story), Bellerophon and Pegasus, and Persephone.
Each story is one page in length, placed on the right hand side of a stunning double page spread. Each story is a prose précis – a very short retelling by Heather Amery. The language is relatively simplistic – enough so that a simple story can be read to a very small child while using interesting vocabulary, but also easy enough for beginner independent readers to read alone.
Illustrations Make the Book Special
The entire left hand part of the double page spread is taken up with a beautiful illustration of the associated story. Each one is drawn superbly by Linda Edwards. The picture and story pages are linked through the intricate borders around both. Each individual story section has a different, distinctive border, and glitz has been added with the inclusion of gold gilt parts on each illustration, making each one just that little bit special.
But what is truly brilliant about this book, and indeed all of the Usborne jigsaw book series, is the lay-over of the jigsaw onto the illustration. The picture is replicated in nineteen jigsaw pieces, made of robust cardboard. The option is given, therefore, for children to complete this jigsaw either directly over the illustration or out of its frame and using the illustration as reference.
Recommended for Children Four Years and Up
It is worth mentioning here that the jigsaw is not recommended for children under three years, so toddlers who chew their way through copious toys really should not make a dent in this, as it is primarily geared towards ages four and over.
Generally the jigsaws hold in place very well and remain firm. It is possible, however, that individual books hold the pieces together firmly but the entire jigsaw has a tendency to fall out as the page is turned. In this case, turning the page with the book held vertically, rather than laid flat, is recommended.
Despite this occasional flaw (as with any jigsaw book), it is a beautiful piece of artwork integrated into a topic book which could be seen, until now, as a subject for slightly older children. This is a great value book at less than ten pounds – a story book and six jigsaw puzzles, and, of course, an historical literature lesson, all rolled into one. What a great gift for a child.
