Jason

Book excerpt: In the fabulous annals of ancient Greek mythology, few characters were as famous as Jason (JAY-sin). He appears in several myths. But his most renowned deed was finding the Golden Fleece. That gleaming hide of a special, magical ram long rested in Colchis, a remote land located on the Black Sea's northern coast. Jason and the men who accompanied him on his quest became known as the Argonauts. This was because their ship was the Argo, named after Argus (AR-gis), the man who built her. In the ancient Greeks' eyes, Jason's epic voyage to find the Fleece was a heroic act of the highest order. So he joined the ranks of the heroes, a small number of unusually brave and daring men celebrated in the Greek myths. They were larger-than-life individuals who took on tasks that most other people lacked the courage and skill to face. Heroes' deeds "often had vital effects on human lives," modern myth-teller Philip Wilkinson writes. They "founded tribes and cities, killed monsters, and provided the necessities of life."In this retelling, author Don Nardo brings the magic of Jason to young readers.