“Jason and the Golden Fleece” available to pre-order today

DUBLIN - May 2, 2014 - PRLog -- Hot on the heels of the children’s book Perseus, Simon Spence has now published his rendition of the much-loved Jason and the Golden Fleece. As with the first book in this Early Myths series, Jason and the Golden Fleece is a beautifully illustrated and interactive telling of the tale of the Greek hero Jason and his adventures with his band of Argonauts.

This eBook was a particular labour of love for Simon, since his own PhD thesis focused on representations of Jason in ancient Greek art and vase painting (also available on iBooks Store) “It’s wonderful to think that I can make the authentic version of this myth come alive for a younger audience” he says. As in the case of Perseus, Simon worked carefully to have illustrations based closely on original portrayals from Greek vases often dating back to 7^th century. The 21^st century versions are brightly coloured and vibrant, showing the action packed voyage of the Argonauts to the edge of the known world, and the quest for the Golden Fleece.

Jason and the Argonauts, like Perseus, [http://www.prlog.org/12278292-greek-myth-for-the-ebook-ge...] is a family affair with Simon’s four-year-old daughter pronouncing the names of the characters in little audio clips placed throughout. “She loved the idea of the Centaur – half man/half horse – teaching Greek heroes in the woods, and I think the Harpies stealing food from poor blind king Phineus are her favourite bits!” Telling the stories to his daughter at bedtime was what prompted Simon to take on this enterprise: “When you see children get so caught up in the action and emotion of the story, you can imagine what it was like for the very first audiences in Greece.”

Simon intends to continue expanding this series of books. The Early Myths banner encapsulates his ambition to make the original versions of these tales accessible to young readers and listeners. Parents can enjoy reading the stories to children aged 3 and up, and an accompanying audio narrative means that older children can enjoy the stories independently. “There are so many other stories from Greek myth and legend that can be brought to life in this way.”

Both volumes in Early Myths are now available on the Apple iBooks Store, and can be downloaded to the iPad and Mac:

Jason and the Golden Fleece: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/jason-and-the-golden-fle...

Perseus: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/perseus/id771734211