Theseus and the Minotaur

Welvaert, S. (2005). Theseus and the Minotaur. Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.

Brief Annotation: After a short prequel to the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, and a brief history of the origins of mythology, the story begins. After King Minos failed to follow through will his promise, Poseidon made the king’s wife fall in love with a white bull. The queen gave birth to a Minotaur, a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. The Minotaur was sent to a labyrinth to live, and King Minos sacrificed humans to the Minotaur every year. Theseus, who aspired to become king of Athens, decided to slay the Minotaur to end the sacrifices to the beast. With the help of King Minos’ daughter Ariadne, Theseus is able to carry-out his mission. The text ends with sections on mythology in the modern world, a map, a glossary, and additional references.

Genre: Myth

Grade Level: 3-5

Readers who will like this: Readers who enjoy Roman or Greek myths, readers who enjoy adventurous stories with heroes, and readers who enjoy stories that provide resources and background knowledge about the subject.

Response/Rating (1-4): 3. This book does a great job recounting the myth, and explaining the pronunciations in great detail, as well as providing resources and additional information myths, myths in today’s world, and common terms found in the book.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: What is a myth? Where do myths come from? Do you know the names of any mythical creatures or gods?