Myths and Tiffs by the D'Aulaires

D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths

Published by: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.

Written and Illustrated by: Ingri & Edgar Parin D’Aulaire

In their classic collection of Greek Mythology, Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire speak to countless generations of learners.  Originally published in 1962, D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths can still be found in classrooms and bookstores—even in the limited children’s literature section of the William and Mary College Bookstore.  The D’Aulaires met at the Hans Hoffman School of Art in Munich, fell in love, got married, and started separate careers as author/illustrators.  Once they started collaborating, they were a force to be reckoned with.  They have authored and illustrated a number of historical picture books for children and even won the Caldecott Medal for Abe Lincoln in 1939.  Where did I learn all of these fun facts?  From www.dedicatedteacher.com which sells a guide for using this book in the classroom! (http://www.dedicatedteacher.com/estore/product/TCR0423I?SEARCH_TERM=Greek+Myth&search.x=0&search.y=0&search=+Go%21+&ResultSetSize%3aint=8&query_index%3aint=1) Although I could only view a few sample pages from the Guide online, it was published by Teacher Credited Resource, Inc. in 1993.  The Guide divides the book into five sections with suggested quizzes, activities, interdisciplinary connections, and real world connections. 

Even without the Guide, D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths is an informative and easy-to-navigate collection of about forty Greek Myths spanning almost two hundred pages.  My favorite page is the lithographic illustration opposite the title page which features a full-page family tree of all the Greek gods and goddesses featured in the book.  I always had a hard time keeping track of the familial relationships in Greek literature, so this was especially helpful to me.  The bright, bold, comic-book-like illustrations also help hold my interest.  Lithography (the method of illustration used in this text) is a type of printmaking in which the artist(s) draw the desired image on a slab of stone with an oil crayon and then, through a series of acid washes, lightly etching the image into the stones surface (for more detailed information check out this site: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/477079/printmaking/28308/Lithography ). 

As an undergrad, I was an Art minor so I had the pleasure of taking a few printmaking classes, so I was really drawn to the astounding simplicity used by the D’Aulaires in this book.  After reading through the first few pages, it becomes clear that the D’Aulaires had children in mind when writing and illustrating these classic stories; in fact, they dedicate the book to their son who apparently helped them along the way.  I love the comic-book-esque action shots of Ares in his chariot, blissful landscapes under Selene (goddess of the moon)’s careful watch.  There are too many stories to mention from this book, but the ending passage and accompanying print bring the collection to a highly stylized close:

Everything must come to an end, and so did the rule of Zeus and

the other Olympian gods.  All that is left of their glory on earth are broken temples and noble statues.  Also the Muses fell silent, but their songs live on to this very day, and the constellations put up by the gods 
still glitter on the dark blue vault of the sky.