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What Greek children's author, Foto Skorda, wrote about Arthur the Fly-Slayer & the Forty Dragons on January 25th, 2019
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BOOK REVIEW ****** Arthur the Fly-Slayer & the Forty Dragons The retelling of a Spartan fairy tale from Greece By Maria Kamoulakou-Marangoudakis Illustrated by Ilias Sipsas Published by LITTLE CENTAUR PRESS A chapter book for ages 7+ |
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When a folklore tale from the past meets the present, it can only lead to wonderful things. This is a story like the ones our grandparents used to tell around the fire, full of sentiments, affection and imagination.
Aromas from the past visit us today through the straightforward and powerful writing of the author, Maria Kamoulakou-Marangoudakis. Arthur was a kid who did not like hard work. He was a day dreamer. He loved to take long naps under the pine trees in the summer heat. The numerous flies disturbed his sleep. So, he decided to craft a sword in order to strike them in one blow. His fellow villagers taunted him by calling him “Arthur the Fly-Slayer”. In reply to this teasing, he engraved a verse on his blade, referring to flies: At rest I slay forty. Beware when I rise. Then one day, two travelers reached the village. They were searching for a brave lad to save them from forty dragons, which were ravaging their countryside. Young Arthur seemed to be the person they were looking for. What a better candidate for the job than someone who could “slay forty”! Arthur took up the challenge without a second thought. “Befriend your enemy and look for ways to undermine him”. So, he decided to stay with them, in their cave and confront all the challenges that lay ahead. With great intelligence, courage and ingenuity Arthur managed to complete his mission and to cast the dragons away and even further… I really liked Maria Kamoulakou-Marangoudakis’s book. It is well written, with clear language and thought; a creative and clever story that I read in a heartbeat! It carried me away and made me daydream with Arthur… If you would like to let your mind to travel,
To dream, To combat forty dragons, And anything else that scares you, Then read Arthur the Fly-Slayer & the Forty Dragons; a book written with much love and sensitivity. A few words about the REVIEWER
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A few ACTIVITIES for the kids
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A few words about the AUTHOR
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BOOK REVIEW ****** Ego and his ego (Ο Εγώς και το Εγώ του) By Greek author Foto Skorda Illustrated by Maria Manoura Published by Ellinoekdotiki Publishing A chapter book in Greek for ages 9+ |
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Ego and his ego is currently available only in Greek (Ο Εγώς και το Εγώ του), with an English edition to follow shortly.
The two main characters of the book are two complete opposites: Ego is a selfish man with infinite riches, who was voted influential man of the year. He owns a prosperous valley, the “Valley of the Light”, where everybody works for him in conditions similar to Medieval serfdom. Ego is a heartless and ruthless employer. He carries a huge, fat, greedy and persistent ego. His ego, that bosses him around in a high-pitched voice, is never satisfied. It constantly demands for more! The quest for immortality is its latest obsession. Ego’s exact opposite is a man called Pavos. A cheerful and compassionate young man, who always smiles and makes no plans for the future. Instead, he lives in the present. He does not care for earthly possessions, but craves for spiritual freedom and feels light as a feather. Every day Pavos walks off a cliff and across a chasm, on a path no one else can see, to visit a huge boulder on the other side. He talks to it with his soul! He sings hymns to it and waters it, with the distant hope that one day the boulder will appreciate his efforts and do him the favor to bloom! His fellow workers have long considered Pavos to be the valley’s looney… The path of these two extreme opposites will cross again and again in the course of the story, sometimes with catastrophic consequences for the “Valley of the Light” and its poor inhabitants. Ego is convinced Pavos is immortal. He must steal the secret of immortality from him at all costs, but in the process he gets involved in numerous hilarious situations. Why does a kind-hearted man, like Pavos, becomes a spitting image of his cruel boss? What brings about Ego’s change of heart? Who are “the others” and how do they influence the course of events? Foto Skorda weaves an entertaining story with a universal message: man’s futile quest for happiness through money and material culture. The Greek text flows freely. Once you start reading, you just cannot put it down! The illustrations by Maria Manoura are imaginative and colorful. They perfectly complement the text and lead the reader on, from page to page. Ego and his ego is a powerful story that readers will turn to again and again over the years. Foto Skorda speaks an international language with a message for every generation. A definite keeper! A few words about the REVIEWER
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A few FUN ACTIVITIES for the kids
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A few IN CLASS ACTIVITIES for the kids
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A few words about the AUTHOR
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