Green, Roger Lancelyn. Tales of the Greek Heroes. Puffin Classics, 2009 (this edition). ISBN: 978-0141325286

“Before Luke Skywalker, before Batman, before even King Arthur, there were the Greek heroes. Those guys knew how to fight!”

And so begins author Rick Riordan’s introduction to Greek Heroes. In this simple sentence we can see that our love of super heroes—those who excel beyond the limits of mere mortals—comes from a long, rich history of mythological stories.

Green writes a fine anthology. It is the perfect introduction for any middle grade reader who may be enticed by modern tales of Olympians to learn more about the roots of the genre.

The book opens with the beginning—when Zeus fought the Titans and with the Cyclops made thunderbolts for thrusting at foes, a trident for Poseidon to stir up the sea, and a helmet of invisibility for Hades, so he could sneak up on his enemy.

Is that exciting, or what?

With short chapters and extra features that include a “Who’s Who” of mythological beings and a map, Green keeps this work within reach of young readers, and not overly wordy or detailed.

Riordan goes on to say that this book “was one of my first introductions to the amazing world of Greek mythology. If it weren’t for this book, I probably never would have written my own books about a modern-day demigod, Percy Jackson.”