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Calliope's Library
@calliopeslibrary.bsky.social
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http://calliopeslibrary.org

Calliope’s Library seeks to help readers find books that they will love that are about the ancient world or inspired by it.
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Read Krishni Burns' write-up of Ali Smith's _Girl Meets Boy: The Myth of Iphis_ on Calliope's Library: www.calliopeslibrary.org/girl-meets-b...
Cover of Ali Smith's Girl Meets Boy: The Myth of Iphis. Title: Girl Meets Boy: The Myth of Iphis Author: Ali Smith. Year: 2007. Tags: New Adult, Novel, 21st Century worlds, Female lead, LGBTQIA+, Gender diverse, Iphis and Ianthe, Ovid, English. This book is actually kind of hard to describe. It is narrated by two Scottish sisters in their early twenties who are both struggling to find their footing in the adult world. Free spirit Anthea is trying to decide who she truly is and who she wants to be, while image-conscious Imogen is trying to fit herself into the mold of the good corporate yes-woman. Both discover, like Iphis in Ovid’s sweet, gender-fluid fairy-tale, that they’re happiest leaving society’s [gendered] expectations behind and embracing their most authentic selves. The style of writing is a kind of lyrical stream of consciousness that verges on magical realism from time to time. It has commentary on corporate greed, environmentalism, consumerism, sexism in the workplace, and, of course, gender roles. However, this book is never heavy. What makes it so good is that it’s so much fun. It’s funny, whimsical, and romantic… and the girls (and their new partners) definitely get the last laugh in the end. – Krishni Burns. Calliope's Library Logo A black and white picture of a woman wearing a laurel wreath holds a scroll that says Calliope's Library. She is wearing a draped garment and her black hair is pulled back in a bun, with a whisp escaping the wreath. Her eyes are closed and she looks content.
July 14, 2025 at 2:43 PM
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Read eleven-year-old Aoife's write-up of Kate McMullan's _Hit the Road, Helen!_ on Calliope's Library: www.calliopeslibrary.org/hit-the-road...
Hit the Road, Helen! by Kate McMullan. Title: Hit the Road, Helen! Author: Kate McMullan. Date: 2015. Series: Myth-o-Mania, book 9. Tags: Chapter book, Novel, Mythology, Troy, Helen of Troy, Ancient worlds, English. Readers interested in a scholarly approach to children’s literature may consult this title on Our Mythical Childhood Survey.* Hit the Road Helen is told from Hades' point of view, and it's about how Zeus lied about the story of Helen of Troy. Zeus has his writer nymphs change the story so he looks brave, super strong, and cool, but he's actually a scaredy god. In this book, Hades is going to set the story right. We've heard the story of Helen. She was the most beautiful person in the world, and Aphrodite promised that she would give Paris the most beautiful woman in the world if he gave Aphrodite the golden apple. Helen was married to Menelaus, but Aphrodite made Cupid shoot Helen with the smoochy-woochy arrow. Helen falls in love with Paris and goes to Troy. At the end of the war, Zeus blames the war all on Helen. Hades knows that's not true. It's actually Zeus and Eris' fault because Zeus is a myth-o-maniac, which is old Greek-speak for a big fat liar. This book is really funny, and it’s full of cool details for lovers of Greek myths. There's a great moment when the ghosts of the soldiers who died in the Trojan War tell their stories and they cheer when they hear stories of someone from the other side dying. For people who don't like war, this might not be the book for you, but if you like hearing a twist on Greek mythology, I highly recommend Hit the Road Helen. –Aoife (age 11). Calliope's Library Logo A black and white picture of a woman wearing a laurel wreath holds a scroll that says Calliope's Library. She is wearing a draped garment and her black hair is pulled back in a bun, with a whisp escaping the wreath. Her eyes are closed and she looks content.
May 25, 2025 at 7:24 PM
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Read Deborah Roberts' write-up of Jeanne Bendick's _Herodotus and the Road to History_ on Calliope's Library: www.calliopeslibrary.org/herodotus-an...
Cover of Herodotus and the Road to History. Title: Herodotus and the Road to History. Author and Illustrator: Jeanne Bendick. Date: 2009. Tags: Middle Grade, Nonfiction, ebook, Ancient Civilization, Ancient Greece, Ancient history, Biography, Ancient worlds, English. Jeanne Bendick’s book, with pictures and maps by the author, recounts the life of the Greek historian Herodotus, with Herodotus himself as narrator; this fictional biography is based on information drawn primarily from Herodotus’s own Histories. After a look at Herodotus’s birthplace, Halicarnassus, a Greek city-state on the coast of what is now Turkey, we learn what his childhood might have been like; the rest of the book is largely devoted to his extensive travels to the places he wrote about (including Babylon, Egypt and Athens) but also includes brief accounts of the wars between Greece and Persia, including the main battles. Bendick provides a glossary of important names (with their pronunciations) and tells the reader what modern place names correspond to ancient ones. – Deborah Roberts. Calliope's Library Logo A black and white picture of a woman wearing a laurel wreath holds a scroll that says Calliope's Library. She is wearing a draped garment and her black hair is pulled back in a bun, with a whisp escaping the wreath. Her eyes are closed and she looks content.
May 13, 2025 at 4:40 PM
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Read Rebecca Resinski's write-up of Elle McNicoll's _Show Us Who You Are_ on Calliope's Library: www.calliopeslibrary.org/show-us-who-...
Cover of Show Us Who You Are. Title: Show Us Who You Are. Author: Elle McNicoll. Date: 2022. Tags: Middle Grade, Novel, Ebook, Audiobook, Mythology, Hades and Persephone, 21st century worlds, Female lead, Lead with Autism, Neurodiverse, English. Twelve-year-old Cora is autistic. Her friend Aiden has ADHD. When a car accident leaves Aiden in a coma, the company run by Aiden’s father gives Cora the opportunity to interact with a holographic digital clone of her friend. While the seeming replica provides some comfort at first, Cora comes to realize that behaviors related to Aiden’s ADHD have been removed from the digital version. She learns too that the company’s interest in her stems from her autism: they are studying Cora so that they can figure out how to “correct” the clones of neurodiverse people, making them “normal.” Throughout Show Us Who You Are, there are clear points of contact between the novel and the myth of Persephone and Hades. The noun “Cora” is a version of “Kore,” which means “Maiden” and serves as an alternative name for Persephone. Aiden’s name echoes Hades’, and his dog Cerby recalls Cerberus. The cloning company is called the Pomegranate Institute. At other moments, however, Show Us Who You Are upends narrative expectations we might have based on our own knowledge of the Greek myth. And that seems to me to be part of the program. Show Us Who You Are is an explicit anthem for neurodiversity; it may also be an implicit manifesto for the creative transformation of traditional stories. Why should retellings be “normal?” What might we see, learn, or think about if we break them out of their inherited patterns? How does continued adherence to expected or “normal” patterns limit not only stories but ourselves as well? – Rebecca Resinski.
May 9, 2025 at 6:33 PM
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Read Krzysztof Rybak's write-up of Greek Myths and Mazes (Ariadne’s Thread: Myths and Labyrinths/Nić Ariadny. Mity i Labirynty) on Calliope's Library: www.calliopeslibrary.org/greek-myths-...
Cover of Greek Myths and Mazes (Ariadne’s Thread: Myths and Labyrinths/Nić Ariadny. Mity i Labirynty). Title: Greek Myths and Mazes (Ariadne’s Thread: Myths and Labyrinths/Nić Ariadny. Mity i Labirynty) Author and Illustrator: Jan Bajtlik English Translator: Zosia Krasodomska-Jones Year: 2019 Tags: 7+, The Odyssey, Picture Books, Ancient Civ, Greece, Greco-Roman Mythology, Setting: Ancient, Award winner: Polish Section of the International Board on Books for Young People “Book of the Year” award nominee, Interactive, Original Language: Polish “Nić Ariadny: Mity i Labirynty”. Readers interested in a scholarly approach to children’s literature may consult this title on Our Mythical Childhood Survey* “Greek Myths and Mazes” is the result of many months of research conducted at museums and other institutions all around the world by Jan Bajtlik, a Polish illustrator, author, and designer. His 2019 book is a mix of different genres, including informational picture book, wimmelbook (a collection of detailed panoramic images with very few words), and an activity book. Later pages present selected scenes from Greek mythology and history, such as the Twelve Labors of Hercules, the Labyrinth, the palace of Knossos, the ship Argo, the Trojan War, the trials of Odysseus, the Olympic games, and the Acropolis of Athens, and many other scenes, stories, places, and myths. In the second part of the book, you can find detailed explanations of all the illustrations: they are historically correct (Bajtlik consulted with Prof. Marek Węcowski from the Institute of History at the University of Warsaw, Poland), and include several important idioms, such as Achilles’ heel, Pandora’s box, Sisyphean labor or deus ex machina. The artistry and hard work of the author are visible; it’s no surprise then that Bajtlik was nominated for the Polish Section of IBBY “Book of the Year” award in the graphic category. Attention to details (often reproduced, reconfigured, or stylized classical works of art), the overwhelming crowed spreads, a wide range of themes, and the woven mazes to thread – all this makes “Greek Myths and Mazes” a great picture book to introduce the secrets of the ancient world, still present in contemporary culture and art. -- Krzysztof Rybak.
May 5, 2025 at 9:37 PM
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Did you know you can write up an already written title?! Read Krishni Burns' & Carolivia Herron's write-ups of Worku L. Mulat's & Ellenore & Leyla Angelidis' _Andromeda, Princess of Ethiopia: The Legend in The Stars in Amharic & English_ on Calliope's Library www.calliopeslibrary.org/andromeda-pr...
Cover of Andromeda, Princess of Ethiopia in English and Amharic. Title: Andromeda, Princess of Ethiopia: The Legend in The Stars in Amharic and English. Authors: Worku L. Mulat, Ellenore Angelidis, Leyla Angelidis. Illustrator: Daniel Getahun. Date: 2021. Tags: Preschool, Picture book, Mythology, Andromeda, Perseus, Ancient worlds, Female lead, Black lead, Racially/Ethnically diverse, English, Amharic. It has always bothered me that today Andromeda is invariably white and blonde when she appears in books and movies even though the ancient stories about her generally agree that she was the princess of Aethiopia, a kingdom in Africa south of Egypt. That’s why I was thrilled to come across this book. Andromeda, Princess of Ethiopia gives an accurate version of the Greek myth about Andromeda’s rescue from her point of view, leaving out any mention of Perseus’quest to kill Medusa. If the choice is limiting, it does provide a nice romantic story for preschoolers who aren’t into severed heads yet. Instead, the book focuses on placing Andromeda within an Ethiopian context, citing other references to Ethiopia in Greek literature, and connecting Ethiopians to the wider Mediterranean world. I particularly like that the book starts with humanity’s early history in the region, then uses the story of Andromeda to connect Ethiopia to modern day astronomy and space exploration. The target audience for this book are Amharic speaking children in East Africa and around the world, so the text is in both English and Amharic on every page. I can’t vouch for the Amharic translation, but the translator, Alem Eshetu Beyene, is a native speaker with impressive credentials who is deeply involved in the promotion of youth literature. Even for readers like me who don’t know any Amharic, it is a great pleasure to see both languages on the page. It reinforces the main theme of this book, connection: across time, across cultures, and across the universe. – Krishni Burns. Worku L. Mulat’s Andromeda, Princess of Ethiopia, beautifully retains the Ethiopian foundation that has often been overlooked in this mythological story of the stars. In a recent visit to the local planetarium, I heard Greece and Rome mentioned over and over again – but Ethiopia was not mentioned once, even though Andromeda and her parents, Cassiopeia and Cepheus, all Ethiopians, were mentioned often in descriptions of the constellations. Dr. Worku tells Andromeda’s story with art, clarity and forbearance celebrating the Ethiopian root of the story without rancor. I first learned of Andromeda and her mother Cassiopeia’s story when reading Milton’s “Il Penseroso” as a teenager . . . “ . . . that starr’d Ethiop queen that strove To set her beauty’s praise above The sea nymphs” That’s what Dr. Worku and his collaborators, Ellenore and Leyla Angelidis, along with illustrator Daniel Getahum, give us, Black and beautiful, a human myth of Ethiopia and the stars. – Carolivia Herron.
May 3, 2025 at 12:09 AM
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Read Rebecca Resinski's write-up of Christopher Myers' _Wings_ on Calliope's Library: www.calliopeslibrary.org/wings
Cover of Wings. Author and Illustrator: Christopher Myers. Date: 2000. Tags: Picture book, 21st century worlds, Black lead, Racially/Ethnically diverse, Icarus. Readers interested in a scholarly approach to children’s literature may consult this title on Our Mythical Childhood Survey. In Christopher Myers’ Wings a young girl recounts the harassment which a winged boy named Ikarus Jackson experiences from schoolmates, teachers, neighborhood kids, and police. When the narrator summons her voice to oppose the boy’s antagonists and celebrate his difference, they both feel freed. Myers’ invocation of Ikarus challenges and revises its classical precedent. The wings of Myers’ modern Ikarus are intrinsic; they haven’t been crafted by his father, and they aren’t the unwitting means to an unfortunate end. Buoyed by the support of the girl-narrator, Ikarus Jackson’s wings become an expression of full, soaring self, and Myers’ picture book becomes a recuperative reception of ancient myth. The medium of collage connects Myers’ book to a distinguished African American artistic tradition and suggests that we both make and are made from what our world provides. Wings acknowledges the material, social, and historical constraints by which we are circumscribed but also prompts us to discover within those constraints possibilities for active reassemblage and hopeful, restorative transformation. – Rebecca Resinski. For further information on the Our Mythical Childhood Survey, please refer to the website of the project “Our Mythical Childhood” [link: http://omc.obta.al.uw.edu.pl/], led by Prof. Katarzyna Marciniak at the Faculty of “Artes Liberales,” University of Warsaw, Poland, with the participation of Bar Ilan University, University of New England, University of Roehampton, University of Yaoundé 1, and other affiliated scholars, within the funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant agreement No 681202).
April 28, 2025 at 3:55 PM
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Read Krishni Burns' write-up of the _Cleopatra in Space_ on Calliope's Library: www.calliopeslibrary.org/cleopatra-in...
Cover of Cleopatra in Space. Title: Cleopatra in Space: Target Practice (v1), The Thief and the Sword (v2), Secret of the Time Tablets (v3), The Golden Lion (v4), Fallen Empires (v5), Queen of the Nile (v6). Author and Illustrator: Mike Maihack. Date: 2014-2020 Tags: 10+, Middle Grade, Graphic Novel, Setting: Future, Protagonist: Female, Racial/Ethnically Diverse Character(s), Neurodiverse Character(s). The title says it all, really. Cleopatra VII, the future Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt, is transported light years into the future to a galaxy far, far away on her fifteenth birthday. She is supposedly there to fulfil a prophecy to save the universe from the invading forces of the evil emperor Xaius Octavian. That doesn’t get her out of school, and she enrolls in Yasiro Academy. For much of the series, Cleopatra tries to balance daring missions in enemy territory with adjusting to school life in the 30,000th century. The art style is fantastic, full of color and movement, particularly during the elaborate, fast-paced action sequences. It will appeal to fans of Raina Telgemeier’s Drama and Ghosts. Cleo is fun, spunky, and relatable, especially when she struggles to focus on schoolwork with a whole new universe to explore. Mike Maihack has revealed in a tweet that he wrote Cleopatra as having ADHD. She had found her life as an Egyptian princess frustrating and restrictive, and she loves the freedom that she gets in her new time, even as she adapts to a strange world filled with aliens, talking cats, ray guns, and electricity. However, Cleopatra also feels the pressures of her situation, and it takes a toll. Over the series, she develops some depression as the war moves ever closer to her new home. Like the Harry Potter books, this series takes a dark turn, and the characters are forced to face the realities of a galaxy at war. Many characters die, and almost everyone becomes a refugee at some point in the story. Ironically, the fact that Cleopatra is a historical character keep the series from getting too dark. As bad as things look, readers can be confident that Cleopatra will be back in ancient Egypt by the time she’s seventeen to meet Julius Caesar for the first time. That said, there’s very little about history in this series. It’s a fun space opera filled with clever ancient Egyptian cultural references and interesting riffs on Egyptian religion. – Krishni Burns.
April 25, 2025 at 4:37 PM
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Read Sarah Klitenic Wear's write-up of the Tunbergs' _Cattus Petasatus: The Cat in the Hat in Latin_ on Calliope's Library: www.calliopeslibrary.org/cattus-petas...
Cover of Cattus Petasatus: The Cat in the Hat in Latin. Title: Cattus Petasatus: The Cat in the Hat in Latin Author and Illustrator: Dr. Seuss Translators: Jennifer Morrish Tunberg and Terence Tunberg Year: 2000 [1957] Tags: 6+, Picture Book, Books in Latin, Setting: Contemporary(?), Protagonist: Animal, Read Aloud. This brilliant Latin translation of Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat conveys the whimsy of the original text, enhanced by the same illustrations and page and font design as the English edition. What makes this translation a stroke of genius is that the Tunbergs effectively duplicate Dr. Seuss’s rhythm and rhyme, which appears in alternate lines. The Latin translation makes use of a trochaic rhythm (eight-syllable lines) with an end-rhyme in the last two syllables (a verse scheme used, for instance, by Thomas Aquinas’s hymns.) The result of this thoughtful composition is a translation that will immediately seem familiar to the reader or, better yet, the listener. Reading this book aloud makes young and old break out into smiles of delight. What a source of joy! This book introduces young children to Latin as a living language. For students of Latin, the book is a fun text to translate because the story is familiar. At the end of the book appears a helpful Latin-English glossary. As an achievement in Latin composition, Cattus Petasatus inspires the young Latinist to consider the art of Latin composition, particularly verse composition. One also gains an appreciation for the technique of translation as an art in itself. - Sarah Klitenic Wear.
April 4, 2025 at 4:48 PM
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Read Ruth Scodel's write-up of Caroline Dale Snedecker's _The White Isle_ on Calliope's Library: www.calliopeslibrary.org/the-white-isle
The White Isle by Caroline Dale Snedecker. Title: The White Isle Author: Caroline Dale Snedecker Date: 1940 Tags: 10+, Middle Grade, Rome, Roman Britain, Setting: Ancient, Protagonist: Female. Caroline Dale Snedecker’s The White Isle (1940) tells the story of an elite (but homely) girl of barely marriageable age whose father is sent as a legate to Britain because he out of favor with Hadrian. Despite her dismay at the move, she comes to love Britain and to appreciate the greater freedom of her life away from Rome. She eventually becomes a Christian and marries a Christian, but the book is not heavy-handed with religiosity, and although it is old-fashioned, its portrayal of the world of such a young woman is at once sympathetic and thought-provoking. For middle-schoolers. – Ruth Scodel. Calliope's Library Logo A black and white picture of a woman wearing a laurel wreath holds a scroll that say's Calliope's Library. She is wearing a draped garment and her black hair is pulled back in a bun, with a whisp escaping the wreath. Her eyes are closed and she looks content.
March 27, 2025 at 9:00 PM
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Interested in writing up a beloved book? Here are instructions: www.calliopeslibrary.org/submit-a-wri...

And here is a PDF of a student handout with step-by-step instructions for composing a write-up! drive.google.com/file/d/1JPHS...

#CalliopesLibrary #ClassicsBluesky
PUBLISH A WRITE-UP OF YOUR FAVORITE BOOK ON CALLIOPE’S LIBRARY! Calliope’s Library is a collection of book recommendations for readers of all ages. The books are about and inspired by ancient Greek and Roman history, culture, and mythology. Write-ups can be between 100-300 words & should express your love of the book: 1. Begin with a sentence or two of summary. 2. Describe what the book does particularly well and why you love it. 3. Finish up with who should read the book. Does it remind you of another book whose fans might like it? Make sure you write your age along with your name. (You can write your age in the box asking for last name—we don’t publish the last names of minors!) 4. Scan this QR code and type in your write-up! (Feel free to write up as many books as you like—it’s okay if they have been reviewed already! Or go read some write-ups to find your next book!) Calliope’s Library is a joint project from the department of Classics & Mediterranean Studies at the University of Illinois, Chicago & the Society for Classical Studies.
March 25, 2025 at 5:19 PM
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Read Krishni Burns' write-up of Mary McCoy's _I, Claudia_ on Calliope's Library: www.calliopeslibrary.org/i-claudia

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Cover of I, Claudia by Mary McCoy. Title: I, Claudia Author: Mary McCoy Date: 2017 Tags: 14+, Young Adult, Rome, Setting: Contemporary, Protagonist: Female, Ability diverse, Racially/Ethnically diverse character(s), Award winner: Michael L. Printz Honor Book. I, Claudia is a version of Robert Graves’ iconic historical novel I, Claudius set in a modern elite private high school in Los Angeles. The students compete over the presidency of the Honor Council in cutthroat elections and vie for PR supremacy in public volunteer campaigns. That might sound kind of cutesy, but I assure you it isn’t. In an environment where wealthy teenagers wield their privilege like the weapon it is, a student-enforced honor code can do a lot of damage. The book follows the beats of the reigns of the Roman emperors Augustus, Tiberius, and Caligula with frightening accuracy, including the public culture that each Emperor cultivated during their administrations. It gets intense, and very, very dark. The narrator, Claudia, has Claudius’s stutter and physical disability, and a cold, realist approach to her peers that would have stood Claudius in good stead. I wouldn’t call her sympathetic, no character is, but she’s an interesting person to spend time with. Like Claudius, she appears weak but in truth has a strength of character and integrity that most of the other characters lack. Augustus confuses self-righteousness with justice, Livia is a monster who isn’t wrong, and Cal is every bit the megalomaniac that Graves’ Caligula is, with a good dose of sexual predator thrown in. As a major caveat, this book contains all of the terrible behaviors that you would expect from a school full of teenagers with more privilege that is good for them. None of it is gratuitous, though, and it all serves the plot. There is both sex and drug abuse, although none of it is explicit and most of it happens “off screen.” Claudia’s disabilities are mocked, although she makes most of the bullies eat their words in the end. The characters of color, particularly Hector, the most prominent Latino character, endure several racist insults as well. However, these factors are really one of the book’s strengths. It approaches bullying, prejudice, addiction, and sexual predation in a nuanced way that I hope will become general practice in Young Adult literature. If I had to put this book in a category, I’d call it a mystery. That came as a surprise to me, since it follows the reigns of the Julio-Claudians and Grave’s book so closely. However, I, Claudia is told exclusively from Claudia’s point of view, and she can’t be everywhere. She’s sharp enough to cut herself, but she has her own set of prejudices and blind spots that make it hard to trust her deductions. There are many small mysteries that remain unsolved until solid evidence comes out at the very end of the book. It adds extra spice to a book already rich in complex characters, high-stakes drama, and well-developed plot. – Krishni Burns.
March 25, 2025 at 5:15 PM
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Have you looked at Calliope's Library lately? Read Ryan Sellers' recommendation of Natalie Weaver's _Baby's First Latin_ on Calliope's Library:
www.calliopeslibrary.org/babys-first-...

#CalliopesLibrary #ClassicsBluesky
Baby's First Latin. Written and Illustrated by Natalie Weaver. Title: Baby’s First Latin. Author and Illustrator: Natalie Weaver. Date: 2009. Tags: 1+, Board book, Books in Latin, Setting: Contemporary, Read Aloud. The approach of Baby’s First Latin is similar to that of Roger Priddy’s classic First 100 Words. It offers a no-frills presentation of selected Latin vocabulary words and associated images. Most of the 26 pages of Weaver’s book feature a single Latin word (rana (frog), piscis (fish), flos (flower), etc.) and a corresponding illustration. Weaver is obviously not a professional artist, and some of the selected words (e.g., corbis) are surprising, given the infrequency of their usage. Nevertheless, the illustrations are colorful and appealing, and this book will help adults introduce a very young child to the Latin language. – Ryan Sellers. Calliope's Library Logo: A black and white picture of a woman wearing a laurel wreath holds a scroll that say's Calliope's Library. She is wearing a draped garment and her black hair is pulled back in a bun, with a whisp escaping the wreath. Her eyes are closed and she looks content.
March 23, 2025 at 6:56 PM
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And here is a handout for use with students that outlines the steps for composing a write-up!

(PDF at drive.google.com/file/d/1JPHS...)
PUBLISH A WRITE-UP OF YOUR FAVORITE BOOK ON CALLIOPE’S LIBRARY! Calliope’s Library is a collection of book recommendations for readers of all ages. The books are about and inspired by ancient Greek and Roman history, culture, and mythology. Write-ups can be between 100-300 words & should express your love of the book: 1. Begin with a sentence or two of summary. 2. Describe what the book does particularly well and why you love it. 3. Finish up with who should read the book. Does it remind you of another book whose fans might like it? Make sure you write your age along with your name. (You can write your age in the box asking for last name—we don’t publish the last names of minors!) 4. Scan this QR code and type in your write-up! (Feel free to write up as many books as you like—it’s okay if they have been reviewed already! Or go read some write-ups to find your next book!) Calliope’s Library is a joint project from the department of Classics & Mediterranean Studies at the University of Illinois, Chicago & the Society for Classical Studies.
March 21, 2025 at 11:40 PM
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Read Krishni Burns' recommendation of Bruce Coville's _Juliet Dove, Queen of Love_ on Calliope's Library: www.calliopeslibrary.org/juliet-dove-...
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Cover of Juliet Dove, Queen of Love Title: Juliet Dove, Queen of Love Author: Bruce Coville Date: 2003 Tags: 10+, Middle Grade, Greco-Roman Mythology, Setting: Contemporary, Protagonist: Female, Trojan War, Cupid and Psyche For full text, go to our website: This book is part of a series, but works as a stand-alone. Eris has taken over a magic shop. Unsuspecting middle school girl Juliet Dove stumbles into the shop & comes away wearing the necklace that made Helen of Troy so beautiful that she launched those 1000 ships. Now poor Juliet can’t get the necklace off, & she’s dodging love-sick classmates while trying to break the spell with the help of the Magic Shop’s wisecracking rats. The Judgement of Paris is behind the action of the book, but other mythical folks have roles to play. There’s a blind prophet who gives Juliet clues to solving her problem, & Cupid/Eros. Juliet’s poetry professor dad helps with different kinds of love in Greek philosophy. The book has a thoughtful take on the bad behavior of the ancient gods. Don’t think that this book is too serious, though. The attempts to get Juliet’s attention range from sweet to comic. It's a hilarious story about gaining self-confidence. Calliope's Library Logo
September 15, 2023 at 3:22 PM
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Read Diane Arnson Svarlien's recommendation of Milena Minkova's and Terence Tunberg's _Mater Anserina: Poems in Latin for Children_ on Calliope's Library: www.calliopeslibrary.org/mater-anseri...

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Cover of Mater Anserina: Poems in Latin for Children Title: Mater Anserina: Poems in Latin for Children Authors: Milena Minkova and Terence Tunberg, translating traditional children’s verse from English to Latin. Illustrator: Pictures are based on those of Kate Greenaway Date: 2007 Audiobook: https://www.hackettpublishing.com/mater-anserina-audio Tags: 1+, Picture books, Early reader, Protagonist: Animal, Poetry, Mother Goose, Latin, Audiobook, Read-Aloud Nursery rhymes and songs are richly beneficial for children’s cognitive development from birth onwards, & even pre-verbal kids delight in them. If you want the children in your life to experience Mother Goose in Latin, this is the book for you. Milena Minkova & Terence Tunberg, widely acknowledged as among the best Latin speakers living today, translate 28 short poems & songs into rhymed, accentual Latin verse. A short Preface explains the principles of versification used. The verses themselves are on facing pages with the English originals, and the accentual stresses are marked so even less experienced Latin readers can deliver them out loud with the correct prosody. Audio files of every poem and song can be streamed for free. Pictures based on those of the Victorian illustrator Kate Greenaway accompany nine of the rhymes, and a Latin glossary accompanies each one at the bottom of the page. The translations themselves are creative and charming. Calliope's Library logo
September 8, 2023 at 10:15 PM