Glorious gods and goddesses. Heroic humans. Towering titans. Monsters and mayhem.
It’s another rollicking romp through Greek mythology with National Geographic Kids!
You might have heard of Poseidon, the Greek Olympian who was king of the sea, protecting voyagers he favored and conjuring fierce storms against those he didn’t while wielding a mighty trident. But did you know his character was also quite the romantic? He even created the first horse just to impress a girl.
Dive deeper into the legendary lives of classic Greek heroes and Olympians in a new book from National Geographic Kids, Greeking Out: Heroes and Olympians.
The father-daughter duo of Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes wanted their sequel to Greeking Out to take a more in-depth look at some familiar characters while introducing others featured in their popular Greeking Out podcast, which currently has 10 seasons.
“Our first book was the main players,” Hughes says. “This book was a little more challenging; we wanted it to have characters off the beaten path.”
Familiar names, unfamiliar stories
This new book features names your kids might know — Poseidon, Jason and the Argonauts, Zeus, Achilles and Odysseus — especially if they’ve enjoyed recent movies about these characters or the Percy Jackson book series. But they’ll be amazed and amused by the boisterous backstories of the characters.
Scouts can read an excerpt from Greeking Out: Heroes and Olympians about Jason and the Argonauts in the October 2024 issue of Scout Life magazine.
“These aren’t role models, and they weren’t designed that way,” Curtis says. “Sometimes, good guys do bad things; sometimes, bad guys do good things. We break the fourth wall a bit to remind kids that they’re reading a story.”
With fun fact boxes and the all-knowing Oracle of Wi-Fi, Greeking Out provides context and fascinating tidbits about the characters, Greek history and life in Ancient Greece. The book’s tone and illustrations are lighthearted and quirky at times, yet the material remains highly educational.
“It gives you actual historical facts to go along with the story,” Curtis says. “I’m learning stuff I didn’t know. When you have that access with National Geographic Kids, there’s a standard of quality there.”
Curtis and Hughes pulled many stories from their podcast, providing a primer for these Greek characters in the new book. If your child is new to Greek mythology, Greeking Out is a great way to introduce them to it, whether they’re voracious readers or prefer audio content or both.
“You’re going to come back to it time and time again in pop culture,” Hughes says. “It’s really helpful and really important. You’re not just having fun, but you’re learning something too.”
Which is great, because many 8-12-year-old Scouts will also encounter Greek mythology as part of their school curriculum.
A perfect mix
Curtis and Hughes combed through the Greek myths with National Geographic Kids scholars to select the best interpretation of these stories and represent them accurately in a family-friendly manner. Combined with Javier Espila’s colorful illustrations, Greeking Out: Heroes and Olympians makes a great addition to both your home and school library.
“If you like Greek mythology, Greeking Out is perfect,” Curtis says. “The art is eye-popping, and the stories are exciting. There’s a takeaway for every story, and you understand why it’s important.”
The authors enjoyed researching these myths and retelling 20 of them in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek way.
“It’s for a kid audience; we have a lot of corny jokes in there,” Hughes says.
“I can’t just leave a bad dad joke alone,” Curtis says.
Greeking Out: Heroes and Olympians, an instant New York Times bestseller, is available from Amazon and other book retailers. You can also find the first book Greeking Out: Epic Retellings of Classic Greek Myths in those places as well.
If you want even more Greeking Out content, check out the podcast, which is available on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher. It’s a perfect companion to the books.
Parents, you can follow National Geographic Kids on Facebook and Instagram.
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