The Golden Fleece

and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles by Padriac Colum

This book would be more recognized if it were titled Jason and the Argonauts since that is what it's about. Of course, the task that Jason and the Argonauts set out to accomplish was getting the Golden Fleece, but I think because of the movie, more people would recognize it by that name. This is a great introduction to Greek Mythology for children (and me). I have heard before that most stories have their origin in either Greek Mythology, the Bible or Shakespeare and through reading this book, I can see that this is a true statement. While reading, I kept coming across elements that can be found in other well-known stories, like The Lord of the Rings, Lot and his family leaving Sodom and Gomorrah, and Snow White, to name a few. This book is not necessarily a page turner, but still a worthwhile read if one is not ready to read Homer (which I have read, but can't remember).