Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and the Maze

Gr 3-7–The Monkey King tale crosses over into Greek mythology. Sun Wukong, born from a stone, is destined to become the mightiest beast and save the three worlds. He is different from the other monkeys and does not fit in, so he leaves his realm and enters the world of humans. There, he still faces loneliness, so he desires to become a god instead, despite cautions from the god Venus that it will not ensure that he will be loved and worshipped. Transforming into a bug, he sneaks a ride to the Heavenly Palace. After being captured, he is told that the Age of Monsters is close and already threatening a Western land. If he becomes a monster hunter and completes his missions, they will grant him godhood. Sun takes on the challenge and is sent to Greece. Many elements of the lore of the Monkey King are represented in the book: Sun has transformation powers, wields a staff that shrinks and grows at his command, and rides a cloud. The story transitions into Greek mythology, where Lam really takes liberties like Cerberus being a puppy in need of potty-training, and the real monster of the labyrinth not being the Minotaur. Well-defined panels are easy to follow and filled with cute artwork. The story is in full color, which works well with the sometimes-minimal backgrounds.