Osborne, M. P. (1996) Favorite Norse Myths. Illus. Troy Howell. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc.

Brief annotation: This collection of myths comes from the Nordic tradition originating in Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The myths are unique in terms of their characters and the importance of ice as a metaphor and recurring theme, but in many ways they follow the same patterns of other great mythologies. There are many parallels with Greco-Roman as well as Celtic mythology.
Genre: folklore/myths
Grade level: 4-6
Readers who will enjoy this: Students who like myths. Students studying Vikings and Nordic history.
Response/rating: 2 I am not a big fan of mythology and this book did not make it particularly interesting for me. The illustrations were too dark and the stories were difficult to read because of the names. I needed a Norse god glossary in order to keep up with which god was which.
One question you would ask before read aloud: “Where did the Norse people live?”
Reading strategies connection: It would be fun to pair these myths with a Hotseat strategy (Tompkins 48). Students would each prepare to represent one mythological figure in the hotseat. One at a time students would take the hotseat and answer questions as their character while the rest of the class asked the questions. This would help students really familiarize themselves with the great cast of characters in Norse mythology.