The Revenge of Ishtar (The Gilgamesh Trilogy)

This is part 2 of 3 in a series telling the story of Gilgamesh. The series is a wonderful version for children. I think it is a little pricey but it is written in language a child can understand, tells the story in age appropriate detail, and the illustrations are absolutely wonderful. My child loves folklore stories and this is perfect - a great retelling with intriguing visuals! My purchase was for a new book. What I received was someone else's copy. It is in excellent condition, dust jacket and all, but has a small sticker inside the front cover with the previous owner's info (marked over with sharpie but still readable). If you're buying a new item, it would be nice to receive a new item. This and the price both considered, this book, to me, was well worth it and the wait for delivery.

The kids loved this trilogy and appreciated the message of friendship that it presents. I had bought all 3 thinking I would spread the story out over weeks, but ended up having to read all 3 within 2 days. This was used for the homeschooling of our two 9 years olds as we read the history of the Ancient World. As one of the first (if not the very first) pieces of literature ever recorded, it is important to read from a historical and messaging perspective as well as to give a glimpse into the universality of many stories found in religions. I hesitated buying this for 4th graders thinking it might be too simple, but actually it is not. Highly recommended version of the Gilgamesh trilogy.

The Revenge of Ishtar (2nd book in Zeman's Gilgamesh Trilogy) continues the tale of Gigamesh's adventures with Enkidu. This books and it's companions, Gilgamesh the King and The last Quest of Gilgamesh, are wonderful introductions for children to one of the oldest epics in the world. Zeman's retelling of Gilgamesh's adventures is engaging and kept my children wondering what was going to happen next as Gigamesh fought the monster Humbaba and Ishtar's great bull. I also love the art work of this picture book series which is modeled after Mesopotamian art, of the period in which this story was written down. This is so well done, I had to include it in my personal library. I wish there were more books like this that introduced literature and art from around the world to children.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the world’s oldest stories. Here it is brought to vivid life through amazing drawings and a readable but poetic text. Perfect for young readers and fans of beautiful art.. The author’s three volume treatment of this epic stand alone or as part of the whole. Do someone or yourself a favor and grab all three books. They’re wonderful.

Fantastic way to introduce ancient cultures. After reading the whole trilogy, we made our own clay "cuneiform" tablets. The story is simplified for young readers, calling the main female character a temple singer instead of a temple prostitute. The pictures are detailed and well drawn. I was quite impressed.

Truly spectacular art with a simply-told but powerful story. The title fits it -- this is not a cute bedtime book. It's the real thing, packed with death and destruction, gods, monsters, and amazing attention to Sumerian architecture and imagery. Very powerful. I can't recommend this any more highly, and can't wait to get ahold of the third in this impressive series.

My son learned alot

Not a lot of words, and expressive drawings. Only for young children, to acquaint them with the Gilgamesh story.