Damon, Pythias, and the Test of Friendship - Hardcover

Bateman, Teresa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807514454 ISBN 13: 9780807514450

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company, 2009

Synopsis

Outside of ancient Syracuse on the island of Sicily, there lived a cruel ruler named Dionysius.  He trusted no one.  Nearby lived two best friends, Damon and Pythias.  One day Pythias spoke out against Dionysius, who quickly ordered his execution, to take place in one month.  Pythias wanted to return to his elderly parents to say goodbye and arrange for their care.  Dionysius laughed, not trusting that Pythias would return. Damon stood up and offered to take Pythias' place until he returned.  The ruler agreed only after stipulating that if Pythias did not come back, Damon would die instead.  When the execution day arrived, Pythias had not returned, but Damon still believed that his friend would be there if he could.  Just in time, Pythias ran in, offering up his own life for his friend's.

About this title

About the Authors

Teresa Bateman has won both the Storytelling World Award and the Anne Izard Storytellers' Choice Award. Her books include Traveling Tom and the Leprechaun, which Booklist called "an enjoyable tale, touched with wit and irony." She lives in Tacoma, Washington.

Layne Johnson (Illustrator) is a published author of children's books. A published credit of Layne Johnson (Illustrator) is Young Patriots: Inspiring Stories of the American Revolution.

Reviews

Rebellion, loyalty, and friendship fuel the personal drama in this moving picture-book retelling of an ancient Greek legend. Close friends Damon and Pythias share nearly everything, including disapproval of their cruel ruler, Dionysius. After speaking out in public against the tyrant, Pythias is sentenced to be executed for treason, and he asks for permission to go home and arrange care for his parents before his death. Damon steps forward to take his friend’s place in prison until he returns, knowing that he will die if Pythias does not come back. Johnson’s acrylic paintings in glowing shades of red show the friends’ bond, as well as portraits of the angry ruler as tension builds during Pythias' absence. Pythias does return just in time to prevent Damon’s execution, and the friends’ loyalty moves Dionysius. A final note says the story is based on true events. Kids will want to talk about the friendship issues and how the tale reaches into their own lives. Preschool-Grade 3. --Hazel Rochman

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Damon, Pythias, and the Test of Friendship

By Teresa Bateman

ALBERT WHITMAN & Company

Copyright © 2009 Teresa Bateman
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-8075-1445-0

CHAPTER 1

Long ago in Sicily, there lived a cruel ruler named Dionysius. He believed in friendship no more than he believed in mermaids or dragons.

"A friend?" Dionysius said. "A friend is only someone who will trick you into trusting him and then betray that trust."

Dionysius lived in a palace outside the city of Syracuse. Five strong gates and a thousand bodyguards protected him. At night he slept behind a locked door in a bed surrounded by a small moat. It could only be crossed by a drawbridge that he alone controlled.

People called him the Tyrant of Syracuse, and he was known to show no mercy to anyone who spoke against him.

Dionysius did not believe in friendship, but in Syracuse there lived two young men who did. Their names were Damonand Pythias. They were best friends and shared nearly everything, including doubts about their ruler.

One day Pythias gave a speech in the marketplace. He spoke against Dionysius, saying he was a bad ruler.

Suddenly thebodyguards of Dionysius appeared. "Run!" people shouted. "Hide!" But it was already too late. The soldiers marched Pythias off to their master to be sentenced for treason.

Damon joined the crowd following the soldiers. He slipped through the five gates to find a place in the courtyard where he could hear his friend's fate.

"Kneel," commanded Dionysius as the youth was brought before him.

Pythias refused. "I bow only to my betters," he said.

Damon watched in horror as Dionysius' face grew red with anger.

"Am I no better than a peasant?" the ruler demanded. "I will show you my power! I find you guilty of treason. You shall be executed in a month." He turned to the guards. "Take him to prison!"

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Damon, Pythias, and the Test of Friendship by Teresa Bateman. Copyright © 2009 Teresa Bateman. Excerpted by permission of ALBERT WHITMAN & Company.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0807514454
• ISBN 13: 9780807514450
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Johnson Layne
• Number of pages: 32