Reading a 3,000-Year-Old Poem to a 3-Year-Old Boy
A parent reflects on the experience of reading Homer's 'The Odyssey' to their three-year-old son. Despite the poem's violent and complex nature, the author finds value in sharing the foundational epic with a young child.
Why it matters
It explores the intersection of classical literature and modern parenting, questioning the suitability of ancient epics for contemporary children.
The Odyssey is not, strictly speaking, a children’s book. I thought my son might enjoy it anyway.
Illustration by Janik Söllner July 16, 2026, 7 AM ET Share Save Listen − 1.0 x + Seek 0:00 9:57 In Book 12 of Homer’s Odyssey , a band of war-weary sailors is navigating home when a narrow strait appears on the horizon. The ship, captained by their king, Odysseus, is blocked on one side by a high cliff where a six-headed monster named Scylla is waiting to devour those who pass beneath. On the other side lies a whirlpool called Charybdis that could swallow the ship whole. Odysseus orders his men to row on. Scylla pounces, snatching members of the crew between her jaws. As she consumes them, Homer writes, they shriek, stretching out their arms in “horrifying death-throes.”
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