My Personal Storybook Favorites

Monstrous Beings of Greek Mythology

The title of this particular blog, Monstrous Beings of Greek Mythology, is actually pretty basic. It is straightforward and lets the reader know exactly what to expect from this Storybook. I actually loved that aspect of the title. While some of the other Storybooks may have intriguing titles that stand out from the rest, I often find myself disappointed to find that these Storybooks are not really what I thought they would be about. I certainly do appreciate that I could finally have a good understanding of what I was about to encounter in the Storybook based on the title.

Based on the title, I know that I will learn more about monstrous beings that are part of Greek mythology. Surprisingly, I am actually not familiar with that many monsters from Greek Mythology. I only know the main ones that are often mentioned like the chimera and the griffin. I cannot decide whether I am sad that I will not be getting to read more stories involving my favorite monsters or happy that the author decided to focus on relatively unknown, and probably underappreciated, monsters.
In the introduction, the author introduces the reader to the types of monsters that will be encountered on a journey through Ancient Greece. The way the author formatted the introduction involves the reader and makes the reader feel like they are about to embark on a journey of epic proportions that involves all manners of fierce beasts. I have a feeling that the author intended for the layout colors to add another element of mysteriousness or even foreboding when it comes to the monsters. The layout itself, however, is not one of my favorites. I cannot really say why, but something about the layout is off-putting to me. I think I am not a fan of putting all of the text to the left, which leaves a big area of the page blank on the right. I also am not a fan of the dark colors and the white text.

A harpy in Ulisse Aldrovandi's Monstrorum Historia, 1642. Source.

  Dante's Portals

 

      Most of the people I know, including myself, are familiar with Dante’s Inferno, even if they cannot quite remember all of the details of the story. If memory serves, the story is more or less about a man who endures the nine levels of Hell. I cannot recall the exact reason why he had to go survive the nine levels, but, let’s face it, it must have been a pretty good reason. I bring up Dante’s Inferno because I am inclined to believe that this particular blog is about that story or the protagonist, Dante. I do not know Dante’s backstory or his future endeavors after successfully passing the nine levels, so I am thinking that the story featured in this blog is about what he experiences afterwards. It could even be that Dante’s Inferno was based on the story found in this Storybook. In the introduction, the author mentions that the protagonist Alighieri traveled through the realms of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. It took some reading, but eventually I was able to figure out that Dante’s last name is actually Alighieri.

        I will say that the author does a pretty good job at giving the reader an overview of what this Storybook is about. We have a character, Dante, that is going to go on some sort of quest to meet other Gods and Goddesses. The introduction is concluded with what I assume is a short excerpt of the future story. I like the way the author approached this – it reminds me of some of the epics I read in English Literature. The previously mentioned excerpt is double spaced in the Storybook, which I think really adds to the epic feel. It also spaces out the introduction so it does not look cluttered and is easy on the eyes.

Portrait of Dante by Sandro Botticelli.

thedragonundertheyew

Surprisingly, this is the first time I can actually say that I have never heard of anything involving a dragon under a yew. In fact, I do not even know of any stories that involve a yew. Aside from that, I would say that the title of this Storybook concisely summarizes what the Storybook is going to be about. It is later in the introduction that the reader is introduced to the backstory of the dragon under the yew.

In the introduction, the author introduces the reader to Will and Violet as they picnic on a hill that is rumored to be formed from a dragon under a yew tree that is said to have formed from a knight that defeated the dragon. The style that the author chose to embrace makes it seem as if Will is telling Violet the story behind the famous dragon under the yew and that the reader is simply a third party listening, or in this case reading, in on the story. However, I also get the impression that the reader will hear more about both of the characters later on in the story considering how much detail the author chose to incorporate into them.  Overall, I really like the story telling format that the author employed in this Storybook. It refreshing to see an original style used for the introduction like this. In addition, the author also does well in hooking the reader so that they continue reading.

Overall, I think that the author did a great job with the style and the layout. I like how there is a picture of a yew tree above a picture of a dragon, which is located underneath the text. I also appreciate how uncluttered the page is and the Storybook’s organization. I will definitely bookmark this Storybook to use as example of what a great Storybook looks and reads like.  

Yew Tree. Source Woodland Trust