THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR

Despite careful attempts to give motivation to the characters in this grand old story, this is a pedestrian, if accessible, version. On the other hand, the illustrations are full of drama and interesting detail--e.g., an underwater view of Theseus diving for the ring amid huge, sharp-toothed fish; or the sated Minotaur glimpsed from a distance, at the center of the Labyrinth, which Hutton makes a fascinating architectural marvel. Oddly, what appear to be double spreads are in some cases two scenes that butt clumsily at the gutter. A flawed but still attractive picture-book edition.