The Little Myths Library
Hold On to the String!
The Story of the Minotaur
A brother lost in the middle of a maze, and a sister who will not let go.
The story
What happens in this one.
This warm and funny picture book introduces children to the Minotaur, the bull-headed creature at the heart of the Labyrinth in Greek mythology — and turns the most famous monster in the old stories into somebody a four-year-old will want to rescue!
In short, rhythmic sentences made for reading aloud, Orson Vale, creator of The Little Myths Library, tells the story of Ariadne, a princess of seven who is not scared of noises, of Theseus, a boy who arrives with a shiny sword, and of a very big ball of red string that leads all three of them home.
Read a sample
The first five pages, as they are printed.
The opening of the story — 5 of the 26 story pages. Tap a page to start reading, then turn the pages with the arrows. The rest is in the book.
For the grown-up reading aloud
“About the Real Minotaur” is the last page.
Every book in the library closes with the original legend retold in plain words — so when the question comes after the last page, there is an answer on it. Nothing is watered down; what changes is the gentleness of the telling.
- Reading age
- 4–6
- Read-aloud time
- About five minutes
- Format
- 8.5 × 8.5 in paperback
- Also on
- Kindle, tap to enlarge
The rest of the library
More myths, told small.
Three Heads, One Good Dog
Don't Open the Jar!
Whatever You Do, Don't Look!
The Girl Who Ate Six Seeds
The Boy Who Flew Too High
The Baby They Hid in a Cave
Born from a Headache
Not the Bad Guy
The King with the Three-Pointed Fork
Up, Pegasus, Up!
The King Who Turned His Toast to Gold
Hello-ello-ello
My Name Is Nobody
Never Trust a Giant Wooden Horse
The Man Who Stole Fire