Gilgamesh the Hero

I bought this book for my 12 year-olds. Chapter two reads like a dime store romance however (…”and this time he understand when she said ‘come here Enkidu, and let me show you the world of men.’ “).I understand that the original myth does include adult content. A book written for “10-13 years-olds” does not need to be so descriptive about this part of the story however.I will not be giving this to my kids to read.

Loved this retelling of the Gilgamesh story. As with any retelling, there are interpretive differences and liberties taken, especially when adapting the story for younger readers, but it was delightful and surprisingly thorough. The rich illustrations alone would make this book a worthwhile purchase.

Not only does this book teach its readers about an ancient legend, it is well-written literature with archetypes and more literary devices. I’m happy to have this on my homeschool reading list.

I loved the lyrical prose in this adaptation of the epic of Gilgamesh. My 10-year-old son enjoyed it immensely. He had read Ludmilla Zeman's more simplified trilogy of lovely picture books based on the Epic of Gilgamesh, but he enjoyed this version much more because it is a more thorough recounting of Gilgamesh's adventures. I would recommend this as independent reading for mature 10-year-olds and up, or as a read-aloud for younger children (perhaps 8 and up), as long as they aren't easily overwhelmed by violence and extreme emotion in stories; I'd recommend reading it yourself first before introducing your child to the story, as this is a violent (toward both Man and Nature) and emotional tale, and might be too stressful for some children. Note that this is not a picture book, though the few illustrations (and many graphics) are very evocative.

I got the book for my son's history curriculum this year. From what I've read it's great and the book LOOKS good at first glance. Several (and by several I mean at least 10) sections are totally missing though. The entire start to a chapter is blank, and huge gaps are in the story. I'm sure it's just a printing error but we didn't realize until this week when we started reading it for class. So now I'm scrambling to get another copy so we can complete the lessons. The story itself is 5 stars. The QC/missing pages is -1.

Only 95 pages, but the story is probably older than the bible. It mentions the flood, the construction of the ark etc.

Awesome!!!

A version for children of perhaps the oldest story in literature.

I really liked this book. I've read the Stephen Mitchell translation before, but I bought this translation to read to my kids.My 6 year old was not so interested, but my 8 year old liked it. It's a bitter sweet story that gives some simple lessons about enjoying your life, and enjoying the time you have. The oldest story in the world still has great value to us as a new story for children.

Just received Book. Its dirty. Corners are dinged and both sides have black smudges and finger prints. I buy used books all the time but usually you pay less for it. For new book price i expect it to be in new condition.

My 4 year old loved it. Looking forward to reading it to the baby in the family in a few years time.

My sister recommended this book to me. I’d never read Gilgamesh before and this was a great introduction. The reading level is probably 12-13yo, and I blazed through the story the same day. It was fun to be transported to a completely new place during lockdown. I plan to use this to introduce the Gilgamesh epic to my kids in a year or two.