We’ve been enjoying the myth of Arion and the Dolphin this afternoon with this beaut book – just look at those illustrations! Arion and the Dolphin by Vikram Seth and Jane Ray was published by Orion in the 90s, coinciding with a National Opera performance of the myth.
We found this gem in our local Oxfam charity bookshop – if there’s one near you make sure to check the ‘floppy book’ boxes, there’s usually some great treasures hiding in there!
In the myth, Arion is a talented poet and musician who is kidnapped by pirates on his way home from winning a music competition in Sicily. Before being thrown overboard, he plays a song for the god Apollo which attracts some friendly dolphins… and the tale continues on from there!
The book has a good mix of simple prose and short poems (Arion’s ‘songs’), based on the libretto written by Vikram Seth himself. There’s also a nice message woven in about caring for the environment.
It is recommended as a ‘read together’ for ages 6+ and ‘read alone’ for 9+ which seems about right: H and I read it together – taking turns! – but the vocab wasn’t too complex for an upper KS1 reading level.
One thing to flag is the dolphin’s ultimate demise – it is very straightforwardly presented. There are illustrations of the dolphin being harangued by the crowds and then Arion cradling its corpse at his tomb while singing a lament about it being dead. H wasn’t bothered by it at all, but I would have found it upsetting when I was his age (I was a much more anxious and sensitive child!)
Not only is it a beautifully retold myth though, it’s also a nice way of introducing Ancient Greek poets as singers – especially as the oral tradition and performance of ancient poems is so easily forgotten!
wee classics 