The Adventures of Odysseus (by Hugh Lupton)

After foolishly enraging the sea god Poseidon by blinding his son, the cylops Polyphemus, Odysseus and his men are blown from one hair-raising, deadly adventure to the next, until the ship is destroyed, all the men killed, and only Odysseus survives. But more trouble awaits him at home, where evil suitors have taken over his castle, insisting that Odysseus' wife choose one of them to marry.

The authors of this version of The Odyssey tell the story in much the same order that Homer did, and they include a bit of gritty violence that hints at the gore of the original. The language is slightly formal, clear, and rich -- this is a retelling, not a dumbing-down.

The illustrations are less successful. Highly stylized, they wrap around the text in sometimes confusing ways, and no character, not even Odysseus (who is oddly portrayed beardless), ever becomes recognizable. They are the kind of pictures that don't draw kids in; kids will glance at them, occasionally puzzle over some of the more confusing ones, but they fail to linger in the mind or enhance the story. Nevertheless, for the text alone, this is a worthwhile addition to a child's library of classic stories.