Argos: The Story of Odysseus as Told by His Loyal Dog

I'm loving this. Did buy it for my 9 year old daughter who is working on ancient Greek projects at school. She wanted the Adventures of Odysseus, so not into this version yet, but I'll convert her. It's really educating me without me having to read the entire original!

Here is a journey we all most likely feel we are currently on...it is one we all know, and yet a brilliant writer such as this author compels us to read it again. The true mark of a worthy author in my opinion is one that tells a human journey through the eyes and heart of an animal's perspective (as Richard Adams did in "Traveler") and we know how this story ends. It is Greek, and they are known for their poignant tragedy. On we go through it with this ancient once again though and happily! Why? because dogs always help us to understand our own lives. And maybe, just maybe the hope to understand theirs.A definite benefit to reading lists!

For years I've been reading to my young children very accessible and age appropriate versions of Illiad & Odyssey. They already know the stories, as we had read them more than once. They also know about Argos from the original (you see him at the end of Odyssey at a very emotional moment).So we were really, really excited to read this version of the Odyssey from Argos' point of view. And, it was awesome. The story and tone feel very true to the original, and the added stories to make transition and narration smooth. Overall we absolutely loved it from start to finish. Because the narration is from the dog, the magical world of ancient greek myth comes alive in an accessible way to the kids. And, kids love animals... just, great.

Highly recommend sharing with a child who's studying the Odyssey. My son and I read this book and found ourselves wanting to slow our pace in order to savor both the prose and our time together. Terrific writing from a unique perspective makes for a wonderful read. Kudos to Mr. Hardy for yet another accomplished piece.

To tell you the truth my son and I did not finish reading this book. Maybe we missed something. But the whole idea to write a book about a dog that sits at home bored while Odysseus travels seems absurd.