Greece
228
Basilake, Poly (text)
Berutsu, Katerina (illus.)
To chrysopsaro tu uranu (The goldfish from the sky)
Athena : Kedros, 2003. – [52] p.
ISBN 960-04-2423-3
Time – Art
One day, when the clocks on earth stop ticking, a goldfish falls from the sky
and finds himself in the hands of a newspaper photographer. He is put in a
bowl and named Goldie. Through the glass, Goldie observes the journalists and,
every time the clock on the wall stops ticking for a while, he goes in and out
of his bowl. Thus, he discovers the meaning of sadness and oblivion, and
learns about the effects of war and death on human nature. One day, Goldie
comes across a lonesome artist who has captured the calmness of a moment on
his canvass, and thus experiences the soothing effects of art. (7+)
229
Chatzude-Tunta, Helen
(text)
Guses, Spyros (illus.)
Hoi karyatides metrane ta phengaria : mia alethine
historia pu egine epano
sten Akropole (The Caryatids count the moons)
Athena
: Ankyra, 2003. – 43 p
ISBN 960-234-974-3
Archeology – Parthenon – Caryatids
This book tells a story mixing fact and fantasy. Every night, the Caryatids,
five female marble sculptures of the famous Greek Parthenon, lament the
‘kidnapping’ of their sixth sister by Lord Elgin. Their only consolation
is the company of the Parthenon’s attendant Zeses
Soteriu,
a real person who lived in the 19th
century and argued that the marble girl should return to Athens from the
British Museum. He tried absolutely everything and informed important people,
in the hope that they could help. The problem remained unsolved, yet SÇtriu’s
efforts were continued by the famous Melina Merkouri in the 20th
century. Today, the marble girls have reason to hope that their sister will at
last return to where she truly belongs. (8+)
230
Dikaiu, Helen (text)
Karageorgiu, Luiza (illus.)
Hoi peripeteies tu Odyssea (Ulisses’s adventures)
Athena
: Pataks, 2003. – [40] p.
ISBN 960-16-0984-9
Odyssey – Ulysses – Adventure
This book retells Homer’s famous Odyssey in a simplified way easily
comprehensible for young children. The adventures of Ulysses and his
companions are vividly and attractively narrated in a concise form, beginning
at the time when the Trojan War ends and the group leaves Troy until the
moment when Ulysses returns to Ithaca many years later. The illustrator has
successfully combined computer generated images with hand-drawn art. To depict
the figures, she drew the outlines on paper and then applied the colours using
computer graphics, while the landscapes and buildings were created using a 3D
graphics software. (7+)
231
Ena dasos gia dekatreis (A forest for thirteen)
Athena
: Hellenika Grammata, 2003. – 60 p.
ISBN 960-406-630-7
Forest – Fantasy – Cooperation
Thirteen illustrators (N. Andrikopulos, F. Bakale,
L. Barbaruse, S. Guses, N. Kapatsoulia, E. Mela, Z. Mela-Floru, D. Oront, B. Papatsaruchas, D. Paris, M. Pelones, B. Psarake, F. Stephanide), who are all members of IBBY
Greece, worked together in a four-day workshop to write and illustrate their
own short stories or rhymes about the forest. The result was a collective work
with interesting variety both in illustration and narrative, which has been
published as an attractive picture book containing thirteen short texts and
giving a characteristic sample of each illustrator’s work. (5+)
232
Merika, Lena (text)
Denezake, Liana (illus.)
Ho noikokyros (The house-husband)
Athena : Kedros, 2003. – 82 p.
ISBN 960-04-2395-4
Unemployment – Family – Gender role
When the family father loses his job, the mother starts working full time.
Therefore, someone must run the household and take care of the children. The
unemployed father undertakes this task willingly despite the gossip of some
neighbours and relatives. He proves to be a perfect »house-husband« and at
the same time starts a new career as a writer of cookbooks. This fast-paced
novel humorously deals with a contemporary social issue and truthfully depicts
the economic difficulties and other problems many families have to face when
one of the parents suddenly becomes jobless. (7+)
233
Myrat, Gianna (text)
Demos,
Chrrstos (illus.)
Gia panta mazi : mia magike peripeteia me ena phlauto kai ena
klarineto (Forever together)
Athena : Kastaniotes, 2003. – [26] p.
ISBN 960-03-3585-0
Music – Jealousy
The flute and the clarinet, who both work together in an orchestra, are best
friends. A mean witch is so jealous of their friendship that she strives to
separate them using the wind, the rain, the heat, and other natural phenomena.
But luckily enough, there are some kind fairies who care and help the two
friends. Referring to pieces of classical music, and accompanied by a CD, this
entertaining book helps children to enter both the fairy tale realm and the
world of music. (5+)
234
Panteles, Zuras (text)
Papatheu-Dulegere, Christina (illus.)
Paramythia tes Kalabrias (Folk tales from Calabria)
Nea Smyrne : Akritas, 2003. – 116 p.
ISBN 960-328-202-2
Folk tale/Italy
In this volume, original folk tales from the Southern Italian region of
Calabria where people of Greek origin have lived for centuries, are retold in
a poetic way. Ettore Castagna’s introduction in Greek and Italian gives the
necessary information about the area and its history, while some instructive
maps accompany the book. This fascinating collection presents folk tales full
of wisdom, imagination, and traditional elements. (7+)
235
Pulos, Kostas (text)
Karantinu, Eva (illus.)
Ho Spyros Lues kai hoi protoi Olympiakoi Agones (Spyros Lus and the first Olympic Games)
Athena [Metamorphose Attikes] : Papadopulos, 2003. – [28] p.
ISBN 960-412-266-5
Olympics – Lus,
Spyros – Biography – Courage
The first modern Olympics in Athens in 1896 and their preparation form the
background to the story told in this illustrated book, which focuses on the
athlete Spyros Lus, the first winner of the Marathon race. Emphasis is placed on the
difficulties he had to face, his courage, and his strong wish to win.
Biographical data of the athlete are subtly interspersed with the narrative,
which also gives information about the other personalities involved in the
revival of the Olympics and refers to some relevant historical events. This
description of the way of life in Athens at the end of 19th
century helps young readers to understand the atmosphere of that time. (7+)
236
Rosse-Zaïre,
Rena (text)
Kapatsulia, Natalia (illus.)
Ho nanos kai hoi epta chionates (The dwarf and the seven Snow Whites)
Athena
: Minoas, 2003. – 34 p.
ISBN 960-542-744-3
Folk tale – Parody – Reversal
The well-known fairy tale of Snow White is reversed in
this richly illustrated book. A rabbit narrates the strange things it saw in
the forest: Seven girls, who look exactly like Snow White, hide and take care
of a young dwarf. The dwarf is persecuted by his step mother, who wants to
kill him because her mirror says the boy is better than his father, the king.
The end of the story is equally reversed: A young princess passing by on her
horse brings the dead dwarf back to life. (5+)
237
Tasaku, Tzeme
(text)
Zalime, Eleutheria (illus.)
To krypho monopati (The secret path)
Athena : Psychogios, 2003. – 128 p. + 1 CD
(Xinomelo ; 18)
ISBN 960-274-747-1
Migration – School – Racism – Friendship
Albert, an 11-year-old boy, and his family are migrants from Albania. They
live in a small Greek village and work hard to make their living. Young Albert
is confronted with signs of racism at school and feels hurt and unhappy until
a neighbour, a strange young lady and would-be writer, becomes Albert’s
friend. Her fascinating company helps him face the situation. A ‘secret’
path that Albert tries to explore symbolises his efforts to find his own way
of leading a normal and meaningful life. In the end, he is sure that this
‘path’ is a way of understanding, knowledge, love, and forgiveness. (9+) <>