Teaching children about the world of ancient Greece and Rome presents some problems for parents. the history and mythology of the classical world can be strong for children. however, there is no denying that the ancient world may hold great fascination for them as well. As an education specialist for family programs at the village, I meet children ages 8, 7 and even 6 who are completely captivated by the heroes, gods and monsters that populate the tales of classical mythology and history. the adventure and feat of these stories is an easy sell to kids, and parents too. but I think your kids need to know more than that.
earlier than you think
even if it will be years before your kids meet james joyce and need to know who ulysses is, how long will it be until they read harry potter (if they haven’t already)? Greek myths may seem at first glance as old as they are disconnected from modern times, but the history of the classical world still underlies so much of our culture that not knowing it can mean missing out on so much. A character like Firenze, the centaur who becomes a teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, harkens back to the guardian of heroes, the classic centaur Chiron. this is just one example of the vast collection of knowledge embodied in classical mythology that authors and artists return to again and again.
You are reading: Percy jackson books reading level
Many children today find access to classic myths through the books of Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson series, and the Heroes of Olympus. they’re fun, light entertainment that has some clever updates on the classic mythology. My personal favorite is the Lotus Casino in The Lightning Thief, a modern twist on the Homer’s Odyssey episode in which the hero is trapped in the land of the Lotus Eaters. It’s also a pretty good warning about the dangers of getting lost in intoxication, always a good lesson to share with your kids. Common Sense Media (my favorite place to judge what media is age appropriate for children) classifies Percy Jackson’s books as being for 9-10 year olds. I’d probably cut it down a year at ages 8-9, but either way you miss out on a lot by reading those books if you don’t know the myths they refer to.
facing the dark side
but about those problems you mentioned…
percy jackson is great, but those stories don’t deal much with the darker aspects of the classical world. Greek mythology contains stories where war, rape, cannibalism, and incest are quite common (and except for cannibalism, ancient history includes much of the same). how do you introduce these issues to a 7 or 8 year old without scarring him for life? to make it easy for kids to get in, start with art. Truly, for the young, an encounter with a 6-foot-tall statue of Hercules or his father, Zeus, leaves a lasting impression.
but art alone does little: stories are key for children. The classic of mythology for children is D’Aulaire’s book of Greek myths. I can’t recommend it highly enough (and neither can the 200+ reviewers on amazon). tells the stories of classical mythology in a simple style that neither glosses over nor dwells on the more gruesome aspects. He also accompanies each story with kid-friendly illustrations that help take the bite out of what might otherwise leave nightmarish images in a young reader’s mind. read this book plus some encounters with authentic ancient art, and you will have held her child’s hand when he or she first entered a deep pool.
modern meanings
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However, the real reward comes later. I just finished reading Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy, a series kids are likely to encounter in middle or high school. This controversial series for young adults demonstrates how knowledge of the classical world and its formative myths remains vitally important. the story combines the idea of the brutality of ancient power games with the brutality of modern reality television. the hunger games are very popular among young teenagers; The first film adaptation, released last summer and only now hitting homes via DVD and instant streaming, grossed nearly $700 million. What’s perhaps surprising about this issue is that The Hunger Games is a scary, scary story. understanding the mythological background to it provides context and depth, things a story like this desperately needs for a young reader to understand its full meaning.
Collins cites the myth of Theseus as a major inspiration for the series. theseus was the prince of athens who returns to his hometown at a bad time, the year of tributes. Seven young men and seven maidens are being chosen from Athens to be sent to the mighty sea kingdom of Crete, where they will be sacrificed to the hideous monster, the Minotaur. Accounts vary as to why the tributes must leave, but in one version, Crete defeated Athens in a war and demanded the tributes as proof of Athens’ submission. It is this idea that Collins uses in The Hunger Games. the story takes place after an environmental disaster has caused the downfall of western civilization. In the ruins of the United States, a war among survivors has led to the suppression of 13 districts by the Capitol. As a reminder of their defeat, once a year each district must pay tribute to a woman and a man between the ages of 12 and 18 to fight to the death in the live-broadcast Hunger Games, a source of melodramatic entertainment on the capital. , and fierce oppression in the districts.
The Hunger Games deals with child-on-child violence and its political implications without much gore, but with plenty of horror. the capitol draws heavily on our worst ideas of the worst of ancient roman society. The capitol’s inhabitants have names like Seneca and Plutarch, and the nation in the book is called Panem, a reference to Panem et Circenses, the Latin phrase coined by Juvenal, a Roman poet. juvenal was denouncing the abandonment of civic values and responsibilities by the Roman population in exchange for government-provided appeasement and basic entertainment (bread and circuses). the books also address issues of the use of propaganda, going in depth about how celebrities can victimize both the viewer and the watched, and how masses of people can be oppressed or inspired by manipulative art, something the romans were at experts.
When I started reading the books, I had trouble suspending my disbelief at the arrogant way the citizens of the capitol enjoyed watching children kill each other. so i started to review my history, not only of the ancient mediterranean, but of the world in general, even to this day, when child soldiers still face each other on the battlefields. yes, humanity can be that cruel and brutal. Part of the point the books make for today’s young adults is how thin the line is between civilization and barbarism, and it has nothing to do with sophistication: in the books, the barbarians are the learned citizens of the capital. however, lacking that knowledge of ancient history, the books might just seem like far-fetched imaginations that could never happen in reality.
I found The Hunger Games fascinating and thought-provoking, although some commentators have questioned its suitability for young people. the mix of old and new ideas from the books created a powerful story with compelling characters. They provide any family, group of teen friends, or classroom with plenty of ideas to discuss and explore. Without that discussion, without an understanding of the ancient culture that informs both the books and our own modern lives, not only is much of the potential meaning of the stories lost, but also much of the potential meaning of our own day-to-day lives. . -world day.
exploring mythology at the getty museum
If you’re interested in introducing your children to the ancient world, here are some of the art in the Getty Museum’s collection to get you started.
at the getty villa:
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storage jar with herakles attacking a centaur: In ancient mythology, centaurs are wild beasts more likely to take your wife than teach you valuable knowledge.
Poseidon Figurine: A 2,000-year-old bronze sculpture of the sea god, Poseidon, who is made by Rick Riordan into the father of his young demigod hero, Percy Jackson.
jug with man and bull: the influence of ancient Cretan culture can be seen in this small jug.
gladiator: this small statuette represents a gladiator going into battle. these men were usually slaves or criminals put into the arena to fight for the entertainment of the Roman crowd.
at the getty center:
Ulysses in Circe’s Palace: A vivid episode from Homer’s Odyssey.
Cleopatra’s Banquet: Depictions of Cleopatra in art have tended to be influenced by the Roman author Plutarch’s unflattering depiction of her as decadent, as we see here.
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