Skip to footer

Percy Jackson narrates Greek myths for kids

Author Rick Riordan recently published the book 'Percy Jackson's Greek Gods,' which is a compilation of traditional Greek myths as told by his character Percy. 

'Percy Jackson's Greek Gods' is by Rick Riordan and illustrated by John Rocco.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

Young readers can now learn more about the Greek gods as told by Rick Riordan’s protagonist Percy Jackson. 

Riordan, author of the series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” “The Heroes of Olympus,” and “The Kane Chronicles,” recently published a guide to Greek gods titled “Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods.” The book provides summaries of various deities, with Percy’s usual humorous narration. “A publisher in New York asked me to write down what I know about the Greek gods, and I was like, Can we do this anonymously?” “Percy” writes. “Because I don't need the Olympians mad at me again.” 

Riordan’s “Percy” series follows a boy who discovers he is the son of Greek god Poseidon and subsequently becomes embroiled in the battles between the deities. 

“Greek Gods” includes illustrations by John Rocco and the version of the book sold by Barnes & Noble has a family tree of the Greek gods. 

“I know Percy’s voice so well, it was a no-brainer to write the myths from his point of view,” Riordan said of the book in an interview with Hypable. “Besides, it was a lot more fun that way. Percy’s snarkiness, after all, is basically my snarkiness. We have the same sense of humor.”

He said he hoped to have his book include some stories that are covered less in traditional retellings. 

“So many great myths don’t make it into the children’s anthologies,” Riordan said. “I wanted to change that and make the book very comprehensive.”

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to Percy Jackson narrates Greek myths for kids
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2014/0828/Percy-Jackson-narrates-Greek-myths-for-kids
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe