Apollo: God of the Sun, Healing, Music, and Poetry

Gr 5–8—Cramming a wealth of detail into a continuous text with occasional sidebars, these slim accounts are complex and often repetitive in recounting relationships and pivotal events among the featured deities. All begin with the same full-page picture, explanation of Roman beliefs in the gods, and sparsely labeled map of Italy, and all conclude with the same family tree of Roman mythology and comparison of the gods to their Greek counterparts. Wooden text covers each subject's birth, family history, and responsibilities, as well as notable life events, including marriages and love affairs. Further reading lists often feature other works by the authors of these books, and Internet resources includes only the publisher's website. The illustrations are suitable; readers won't be enticed to pick up these works, but those who do will find some interesting material here.