Keeping up with the multitude of characters from Greek mythology can be a handful. Illustrated with colorful digital artwork and accompanied by a map of ancient Greece, these entries in the Greek Mythology series give children a brief, age-appropriate overview of some of mythology's most interesting gods and goddesses. Aphrodite recounts the goddess' effect on gods and humans who fell for her charms as well as her involvement in the start of the Trojan War. Other features include sidebars, which make connections to art, the constellations, and other areas of ancient Greek culture. Good background knowledge for the Percy Jackson series, too.

TEMPLE, Teri . Apollo: God of the Sun, Healing, Music, and Poetry . ISBN 978-16147-32549 . LC 2012932425. TEMPLE, Teri . Ares: God of War . ISBN 978-16147-32556 . LC 2012932426. TEMPLE, Teri . Artemis: Goddess of Hunting and Protector of Animals . ISBN 978-16147-32563 . LC 2012932432. TEMPLE, Teri . Athena: Goddess of Wisdom, War, and Crafts . ISBN 978-16147-32570 . LC 2012932433. TEMPLE, Teri . Eros: God of Love . ISBN 978-16147-32587 . LC 2012932431. TEMPLE, Teri . Hades: God of the Underworld . ISBN 978-16147-32594 . LC 2012932429. TEMPLE, Teri . Hephaestus: God of Fire, Metalwork, and Building . ISBN 978-16147-32600 . LC 2012932422. TEMPLE, Teri . Hera: Queen of the Gods, Goddess of Marriage . ISBN 978-16147-32617 . LC 2012932423. TEMPLE, Teri . Hermes: God of Travels and Trade . ISBN 978-16147-32624 . LC 2012932419. TEMPLE, Teri . Poseidon: God of the Sea and Earthquakes . ISBN 978-16147-32631 . LC 2012932397. TEMPLE, Teri . Zeus: King of the Gods, God of Sky and Storms . ISBN 978-16147-32648 . LC 2012932398. ea vol: illus. by Robert Squier. 32p. (Greek Mythology Series). photos. map. further reading. index. websites. The Child's World . 2012. PLB $29.93. Gr 3-4 Although Temple tries to summarize several myths in connection to each of the selected gods in a way that will hold the attention of readers, these complex tales are sometimes overly simplified. For example, in Hera , the author states that Heracles was brought to Olympus to live; most sources that mention a stay on Olympus give him only a brief stop there. Temple does offer insightful historical information about Greek rituals, worship practices, and architecture, and a helpful "Principal Gods of Greek Mythology" family tree will give readers new to the myths a handy reference to sort out the characters. Squier's illustrations are eye-catching.