A retelling of the ancient Greco-Roman myth, in which the goddess Venus becomes so enraged at the adoration offered to the beautiful princess, Psyche, that she sends her son Cupid to destroy the young mortal with a spell. But Cupid himself falls in love with Psyche, and secretly marries her. "The path of true love never did run smooth" however, and a lack of trust on both sides leads to tragedy, and to Psyche's quest to be reunited with her beloved husband...

This retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche offers a much more extensive text than the version illustrated by Kinuko Craft, which I have previously reviewed. Although not long enough to be a novel (64 pages), it is certainly not a picture-book. The narrative is faithful (in the main) to the original version found in Apuleius's 2nd century novel, The Golden Ass.

The wash drawings by Ati Forberg, in black and red, are influenced (so the dust jacket tells us) by the Cretan culture "from which many of the Greek myths arose." I assume that they must mean the Minoans? Although I am aware of the importance of Crete as Zeus's childhood home, as well as its centrality to the story of Theseus and Ariadne, I was not aware that Greek mythology as a whole was believed to have come from this island... I think I will have to investigate this further... Regardless, Forberg's illustrations are charming.

In sum, while I would recommend the Cupid and Psyche illustrated by Kinuko Craft for the younger child, this version provides a very enjoyable retelling for the older child who wants to start reading on his or her own. ( )

Part C/traditional literature

The charming and handsome Greek god, Cupid, falls madly in love the breathakingly beautiful mortal, Pysche. The couple undergoes many challenges, especially the ones imposed by Venus, the goddess of love, before Psyche becomes a god to live with Cupid.

The illustrations are exquistely beautiful although they are in black and white.