Cover Image

Atlantis : the legend of a lost city

by Balit, Christina.

Format: Print Book 2000
Availability: Available at 10 Libraries 10 of 11 copies

Available (10)
Location Collection Call #
Bethel Park Public Library Juvenile Nonfiction PB j 398.23 BA
Location  Bethel Park Public Library
 
Collection  Juvenile Nonfiction
 
Call Number  PB j 398.23 BA
 
 
CLP - Allegheny Children's Non-Fiction qj GN751.B27 2000
Location  CLP - Allegheny
 
Collection  Children's Non-Fiction
 
Call Number  qj GN751.B27 2000
 
 
CLP - Squirrel Hill Children's Non-Fiction Collection qj GN751.B27 2000
Location  CLP - Squirrel Hill
 
Collection  Children's Non-Fiction Collection
 
Call Number  qj GN751.B27 2000
 
 
Cooper-Siegel Community Library Children's Non Fiction j 398.2 BAL
Location  Cooper-Siegel Community Library
 
Collection  Children's Non Fiction
 
Call Number  j 398.2 BAL
 
 
Mt. Lebanon Public Library Children's Non-Fiction j 292.08 Bal
Location  Mt. Lebanon Public Library
 
Collection  Children's Non-Fiction
 
Call Number  j 292.08 Bal
 
 
Northland Public Library Children's Nonfiction J 398.23 B19
Location  Northland Public Library
 
Collection  Children's Nonfiction
 
Call Number  J 398.23 B19
 
 
Oakmont Carnegie Library Non-Fiction J 398.2 BA
Location  Oakmont Carnegie Library
 
Collection  Non-Fiction
 
Call Number  J 398.2 BA
 
 
Penn Hills Library Juvenile Non-Fiction CHILDREN 398.2 BAL
Location  Penn Hills Library
 
Collection  Juvenile Non-Fiction
 
Call Number  CHILDREN 398.2 BAL
 
 
Sewickley Public Library Juvenile Nonfiction J 001.94 BAL 2000
Location  Sewickley Public Library
 
Collection  Juvenile Nonfiction
 
Call Number  J 001.94 BAL 2000
 
 
Shaler North Hills Library Juvenile Non-Fiction j 292 B
Location  Shaler North Hills Library
 
Collection  Juvenile Non-Fiction
 
Call Number  j 292 B
 
 
 
Unavailable (1)
Location Collection Status
CLP - East Liberty Children's Non-Fiction Collection CHECKED OUT
Location  CLP - East Liberty
 
Collection  Children's Non-Fiction Collection
 
Status  CHECKED OUT
 
 

Summary
A magnificently illustrated retelling of the story of Atlantis--one of the world's most haunting and fascinating myths.

Floating on the emerald sea is a small rocky island belonging to the mighty sea-god Poseidon. Few visit its shores-until Poseidon marries a beautiful woman named Cleito and transforms the island into a rich and fertile paradise, where all things flourish. A magnificent city arises. Poseidon names his perfect island Atlantis. Atlantis prospers and its people live in peace, but as the years pass, Poseidon's descendants start to act less like gods and more like men. When the people incur the wrath of their god, a terrible curse is carried out and the entire island sinks forever beneath the waves.

This retelling of the history of fabled Atlantis is based on Plato's Timaeus and Critias. It features a note by internationally known historian Geoffrey Ashe, who has written extensively in the area of mythology.
Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "Gr. 3^-5, younger for reading aloud. The story of Atlantis, adapted from Plato's Timaeus and Critias, is not so different from more familiar myths and folktales. Poseidon, god of the sea, wonders how the island dwellers can be so happy with so little. He falls in love with Cleito, and they marry, though no one knows he is a god. But gods don't stay hidden for long, and Poseidon reinvigorates the island, turning it into a lush paradise. He also builds a palace and temples, fountains, and gardens: the people are wise and kind and love peace. Then Poseidon leaves Atlantis and sleeps in the sea. Slowly, the people lose their tranquillity, become dangerous, and yearn for power. Angry, Poseidon sends a tidal wave that destroys Atlantis in a night and a day, sinking the city to the ocean floor. The text is rather staid, but the illustrations, taking their cue from classical Greek art, splash over the pages, brilliant in design and color. Balit captures the elemental forces that create Atlantis and then destroy it in swirls of lines, bursts of sea and sky hues, and fires of yellow. In between, she magnificently portrays Atlantis, with architectural shapes and intricate patterns, all burnished with gold. Sometimes reminiscent of Jane Ray's work, the art is quite sophisticated, especially as it portrays the landscape. Flowers, trees, mountains, even stones, are all exquisitely detailed, as are the animals and birds that roam throughout. A note by an authority on Atlantis sorts out the truth and fancy of the enduring legend. --Ilene Cooper"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "Stylized, intensely colored and highly detailed illustrations dominate this interpretation of Plato's myth of the lost city of Atlantis. Balit (Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations) gracefully retells the story, beginning with Poseidon's love for the island girl Cleito, and lingering on his transformation of the island into a paradise. Over time, the people change: "the godlike part of their souls faded and their mortal, human natures took over." When their ambition and lust for power lead to strife, Poseidon plunges the city deep under the sea. Balit's three-quarter-spread illustrations nod at ancient Greek figure painting with their severe profiles and geometric motifs. Her sumptuous palette and her busy, almost psychedelically patterned compositions, meanwhile, reflect a contemporary sensibility. Elaborately scaled mermaids' tails undulate against curving waves, the ripples of the sea delineated in curls of white dots; fantastically colored birds dart over a fecund jungle. Gold-ink embellishments heighten the decorative element, drawing readers into the seemingly endless detail. Children intrigued by the story will like the endnote by Geoffrey Ashe, who describes various theories about a historical Atlantis. Ages 4-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved"
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Subjects Atlantis -- Juvenile literature.
Atlantis.
Publisher New York :Holt,2000
Edition 1st American ed.
Other Titles Timaeus.
Critias.
Contributors Plato. Timaeus.
Plato. Critias.
Language English
Description 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 28 cm
ISBN 080506334X
Other Classic View