Divine Comedies: A Gift from Zeus and The Old Testament Made Easy

by Jeanne Steig, William Steig (Illustrator)

Overview

Beloved children’s book author Jeanne Steig gives some spice, pizzazz, and a little bit of cheek to well-known classic tales from the Old Testament and Greek mythology, filled with saucy illustrations by Caldecott winner and creator of Shrek!, William Steig.

Who but Jeanne and William Steig would tackle retelling the Old Testament and the Greek myths? The cheekiest of the classic Steig books—The Old Testament Made Easy and A Gift from Zeus—turn the stories you know upside down and are bound together in this divine, deluxe edition for the first time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481439572
Publisher:	Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Publication date:	02/02/2016
Edition description:	Bind-Up
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Jeanne Steig is the author of several books for children including, most notably, Consider the Lemming, The Old Testament Made Easy, Alpha Beta Chowder, A Handful of Beans, and A Gift from Zeus; all of which were illustrated by her late husband and award-winning author/illustrator, William Steig. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

William Steig (1907–2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator, and author of award-winning books for children. Most notably Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, for which he received the Caldecott Medal; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor book; Amos & Boris, a National Book Award Finalist; and Abel’s Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor books. Steig is also the creator of Shrek! which inspired the Dreamworks films. Steig also received the Christopher Award, the Irma Simonton Black Award, the William Allen White Children’s Book Award, the America Book Award, and Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also the US nominee for both of the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Awards as an illustrator in 1982, and then as an author in 1988. He is survived by his wife, Jeanne Steig, and four children.

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2016
Gr 7 Up—With tongues planted firmly in cheek, the Steigs' deliver thoroughly entertaining retellings of classical myths and Bible stories. Here are gathered two previously published works, A Gift from Zeus (2001) and The Old Testament Made Easy (1990). Though William Steig's artwork might call to mind Shrek or Doctor De Soto, this fare is for more mature readers, as his wife and collaborator Jeanne Steig does not shy away from the more lurid aspects (suicide, incest, violence, and sex) in some of these classic tales. For those with a basic understanding of the originals, the Steigs' pithy versions are guaranteed to elicit chuckles and spark discussion. Clever and fluid prose makes these especially enjoyable as read-alouds for teens.—Kiera Parrott, School Library Journal

School Library Journal