The Golden Age: Ovid's Metamorphoses is a retelling of seventeen of Ovid's tales by author Hienz Janisch. This children's book is beautifully illustrated by Ana Sender (@annsender) who contributes to the magic of each tale.
The book begins with the creation of the world and humans and eventually leads into the story of the four ages. Janisch brilliantly combined known myths, such as the great flood and Narcissus and Echo along with some not-so-common tales, like the story of Lycian farmers and Orpheus and Eurydice. All stories present a lesson, along with why we have spiders, frogs, woodpeckers, and various other animals.
My favorite myth is The Open House: The Story of Fama, which is a perfect way to end the book. This story is about the goddess Fama and her house that sits in the center of the world on a mountain between the sky, earth, and sea. She heard everything that went on in the world. Each story added more gossip, news, characters, and voices and Fama would listen to them all. As the book states, "The story was never-ending." This is true of Ovid's tales, which have carried on long after his death.
If you have a child with an active imagination and who enjoys Roman mythology be sure to pick up a copy of The Golden Age by Ovid. It will be released on Oct. 4, 2022, on all major book websites and stores.