(urth) D'Aulaires books

[James Wynn]

> Thanks John & Allan.
> The D'Aulaires look great. I'll be picking those up for sure.
> We watched the Jim Henson Storyteller: Greek Myths recently and my son
> loved them. I thought they might leave him cold. A few weeks later he
> recounted the story of Icarus to me and said "he shoulda listened to his
> father" all seriously. :D


I miss being able to read to my kids. Fortunately I still have one daughter 
who is willing to read to ME on long drives.

Let's see (for what it's worth)...

Check out the Golden Treasury of Myths and Legends by Anne Terry White. It 
includes Greek myths but also Persian, Nordic, and British stories. The 
illustrations are amazing IMO.
http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Treasury-Legends-Adapted-Classics/dp/B000P4HH9S%3FSubscriptionId%3D15HRV3AZSMPK0GXTY102%26tag%3Die8suggestion-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB000P4HH9S

You shouldn't miss the opportunity to read all the Winnie the Pooh stories 
to your kids. It's extremely enjoyable for adults but there is an age when a 
kid won't tolerate it.

The Wizard of Oz stories are obvious choices. You get 14 volumes IIRC by 
Baum, but then after him there's Ruth Plumly Thompson's stories (whom Wolfe 
has identified as an influence).

David Hartwell (Gene Wolfe's editor) produced the twin volumes "Masterpieces 
of Fantasy and Wonder" and "Masterpieces of Fantasy and Enchantment". They 
collect fantasy stories from the 19th century to modern times that are all 
just a little bit skewed from all the fantasy that is squarely in Tolkien's 
shadow. The collection includes Wolfe's "The Detective of Dreams" for 
instance. But each volume also has a story by Frank Stockton. "The Bee Man 
of Orn" is a story Wolfe would write if he could write stories for children. 
Also fantasy stories by Baum, Horace Wapole, George McDonald, Lafferty, and 
Philip K. Dick.

If your son enjoyed Pyle's King Arthur then he would probably be able to 
appreciate Kenneth Morris' "The Book of Three Dragons", a free retelling of 
the labors of Manawyddan.  The scene where Manawyddan confronts the literary 
critics is perfect.

There's the Gormenghast trilogy. Some kids (and adults) *really* like it and 
some don't at all.

The Complete Grimm Fairy Tales has almost a year's worth of nightly 
readings. The Windermere Series "The Arabian Knights Entertainments" is 
perfect for reading to kids. It includes the stories kids are most likely to 
be familiar with (unlike Richard Burton's translation which are almost 
unreadable and certainly unreadable to children). But perhaps a better 
choice is a large volume called "The Enchanted World: The Greatest Folk and 
Fairy Tales" which combines stories from the Grimms, Arabian Nights, Lang, 
Charles Perault, William Griffs, and others.

Speaking of which, don't roll you're eyes but the 20 volume Time Life 
Enchanted World series is absolutely *packed* with readable stories from all 
over the world. Some of them are really creepy, which is appealing to boys. 
And the illustrations are phenomenal. You can often pick the volumes up at 
used bookstores for as little as $2.

Also, the graphic novels by Jim Fitzgerald on the myths of Ireland.

I tried hard to convince my wife we needed more kids, and the opportunity to 
read to them and teach them to read was probably my impetus.

J.