For centuries, people of all ages have been fascinated with the myths of the ancient Greek gods. Lupton, a sought-after British storyteller, and Morden, a Welsh storyteller, use their practiced styles to bring the childhood, youth, prowess, and death of Achilles to life. The first four chapters introduce all the characters, both immortal and mortal, who play a significant role in the long war (see chapters 5-12) between the Greeks and citizens of Troy. Achilles, the son of King Peleus and Thetis, is the primary character, though major gods and goddesses interfere at every turn. Henaff's color illustrations are done in a style to replicate the ancients, while her detailed facial expressions add wit. The book has no glossary or identifying list of characters, so either bone up beforehand or read it quickly for fun and don't worry about remembering all the names. Readers who grew up with the d'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths (1962) and those hooked on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series will find this a fun read.--Petty, J. B. Copyright 2010 Booklist

Two veteran storytellers give one of mythology's greatest warriors his due in a narrative rich in drama, tragedy, intense emotion and heroic feats of arms. Thoroughly recast from an award-winning audio version (2004; included with the hardcover edition), this companion to the authors' Adventures of Odysseus (illustrated by Christina Balit, 2006) retells the classic tale of Achilles' meteoric career in staccato, muscular prose. "He was fed on the marrow of bears to make him strong, the guts of lions to make him fierce, and the milk of deer to make him swift." Stylized border and panel paintings of gods and mortals seen in profile or posed groups are reminiscent of figures on ancient Greek vases. The profound attachment between Achilles and Patroclus (begun during the former's five-year stint disguised as a woman and ending with their ashes mingled in the same funerary urn) forms the emotional centerpiece of the tale. Otherwise, veiled behind lines like "they took their delight of one another," the sex among the large cast of gods and mortals is less explicit than the battle action before and within Troy's walls. Echoes of Homeric language can be found in references to Zeus, the "Cloud Compeller," "ox-eyed Hera" and the like. Despite its particular focus on Achilles, this compelling narrative delivers a reasonably complete picture of the Trojan War's causes, course and violent end. Epic in deed and scope and a-bustle with larger-than-life characters, this retelling of the Iliad will rivet both readers and listening audiences. (bibliography) (Folktale/mythology. 11-14)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Viva's debut, "Along a Long Road," was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2011, and he brings that same visual audacity and forward momentum to his first early reader. Told in full spreads and comic-book-style panels, the story of a boy in a bat T-shirt and his mouse takes readers aboard a small boat headed to Antarctica. The mouse is initially reluctant, but the boy eventually wins him over with a swim in a wondrous volcanic lagoon. What child wouldn't be on board for that? MOUSETRONAUT Based on a (Partially) True Story. By Mark Kelly. Illustrated by C.F. Payne. 40 pp. A Paula Wiseman Book/Simon & Schuster. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Here the mouse is headed in the opposite direction. This first children's book by Kelly, a retired astronaut and husband of former Representative Gabrielle Giffords, builds on his experience with real mice aboard the space shuttle Endeavour. Eighteen of them. In this winning story there are she, and as the smallest one, Meteor gets to perform his own special mission. After helping the astronauts out of a potential Apollo 13 calamity, Meteor is declared a hero - sure to please many fellow pipsqueaks back on Earth. THE ODYSSEY By Gillian Cross. Illustrated by Neil Packer. 170 pp. Candlewick Press. $19.99. (Middle grade; ages 8 to 18) Cross, winner of the prestigious Carnegie Medal for children's books, dives right into Odysseus' tale with a brief description of how the "cleverest of all the kings of ancient Greece" was called to war but was desperate to get home by Chapter 2. Cross makes the story lively and accessible, though children who haven't brushed up on their Rick Riordan may need guidance. Packer's drawings, looking alternately like decorated urns, Greek friezes, Byzantine icons and 19th-century caricature, hit an occasional off note. But nobody said the Cyclops was pretty. THE IMPOSSIBLE RESCUE The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure. By Martin W. Sandler. Illustrated. 163 pp. Candlewick Press. $22.99. (Middle grade; ages 10 to 14) Believe it or not, the Arctic was once really, really cold. But that's far from the only hard-to-fathom aspect of this outstanding book. An excellent story to match, if not one-up, Shackleton's misadventures on the opposite pole, Sandler's latest is the gripping, true account of a mission to rescue eight whaling ships off the coast of Alaska in 1897. Containing everything from presidential hubris to treacherous storms, ice packs, herds of reindeer and miserable sled dogs worked in brutal, dead-of-winter conditions - much of it photographed by participants - "The Impossible Rescue" is top-notch history. Smart, well written, meticulously researched and a lot of fun. THE ADVENTURES OF ACHILLES Retold by Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden. Illustrated by Carole Hénaff. 96 pp. Barefoot Books. $23.99. (Middle grade; ages 10 to 18) Another hero in another far-flung epic. This richly detailed and lavishly illustrated edition, by the accomplished British storytellers Lupton and Morden, is well suited to mythology newbies, beginning with a helpful introduction to the gods of Olympus and the origins of the Trojan War. Unlike many accounts, this telling takes its time with Achilles' childhood, including his mother's repeated kidnappings of the young boy, and his five years spent in drag. But there is also plenty of adventure and the inevitable bloodshed on hand. The book includes two CDs narrated by the authors. PAMELA PAUL ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.

Gr 6-8-While many kids might be familiar with the gods and heroes featured in the Iliad, they may not know how these characters relate to one another and, indeed, how the story actually plays out. To remedy that, two noted storytellers pair with an award-winning illustrator to adapt the story into 12 beautifully designed chapters and an epilogue. The focus is on the legendary warrior Achilles, beginning with his birth and childhood, his entry into the Trojan War, and his life as a soldier. Some chapters expertly cut away to introduce other players, like Paris and Helen, or Hector and Priam, and show how the machinations of the gods affect the story. Throughout, the writing style easily switches between florid prose and functional plot-driven narrative to capture the mood of the adventure at hand while making sure kids can follow what is happening and why. While the storytelling is simplified when necessary, the content is anything but: details of the violence of the Trojan War, as well as the sexual escapades of the gods are included, and underlying themes of the story, like the role of fate and luck, are presented again and again. Each chapter is heavily illustrated, giving at least a quarter of each page to dreamlike images that reinforce the mythological feel of the story. The images focus on characters depicted against scenes of nature, home, or war, all using acrylics to mimic the look of ancient Greek and Roman art, with rounded shapes, swirls, and muted colors that somehow brighten the page. A good choice for libraries where the epics and myths of ancient Greece are popular.-Heather Talty, formerly at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Two practiced British storytellers focus on the titular warrior for a succinct account of the Trojan War, supplementing Homers Iliad with other ancient sources (an authors note would have been useful). The fateful golden apple of discord first appears at Achilless parents wedding; Achilless fury over Agamemnons appropriation of his slave, the beautiful Briseis, leads to his friend Patrocless death, which in turn leads inexorably to Achilless killing and dishonoring Hector, and then to his own death. From Zeuss lust for Achilless mother to the goddess of strifes last word after Troys fall, the gods interference is decisive here. Their amours, and humans too, are frequently significant, if discreetly reported: when Hera seduces Zeus, they took their delight of one another in a golden cloud. Expertly honed language moves the events along swiftly: Whole years passed with barely a skirmish. When Patrocles enters the battle in Achilless armor, every man felt a cold shudder from the nape of the neck to the root of the spine...Death rode a chariot that day. Acrylic illustrations, bright with Attic red and Aegean blue, recall ancient Greek art. Appearing variously as borders, bands, or pages, they second the meaning of the text without competing with it, not even when the Rage of Achilles is compressed into an encompassing drop of blood. This fine introduction might well be followed with Rosemary Sutcliffs subtler, more detailed Black Ships Before Troy (1993). joanna rudge long (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.