Little Master Homer: The Odyssey, Jennifer Adams & Alison Oliver, 2016
I keep hearing that coding is all the rage these days. Presumably, with The Odyssey, m. and d. are setting me on a path to learn ancient Greek instead. This book should come with baby’s first monocle, pipe, and tweed jacket. I can’t wait to be smug on the play ground, “Ah, you’re really between Scylla and Charybdis now, Ethan.”
This is a great concept and well executed, much like the rest of the Baby Lit series. Despite the minimal text, each “monster” provides enough narration to loosely construct the plot of The Odyssey. Or, at least, that’s what m. and d. say every time we read it. If Jennifer Adams hadn’t used the third person on the first page, the book would have brilliantly cast the reader as Odysseus. Unfortunately, that editorial decision throws what could have been a great narrative triumph for board books into a quagmire, placing the narrative voice firmly between Scylla and Charybdis.
This book is one of illustrator Alison Oliver’s favourite in the BabyLit series. I can see why! The art is spectacular, reminiscent of Charlie Harper’s minimal realism. I particularly love the Lotus Eaters. I might be interested in eating lotus flowers, if someone placed them delicately in my mouth. This book has me waiting on tenterhooks for the BabyLit Iliad.
People often favour the Lattimore translation over Fagles’ version of The Odyssey, however I think they’re all wrong. Jennifer Adams’ is my personal favourite.
4 out of 5 doggies
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