- Picture Books
- Ages 6–10
- Mythology
Leo and the Gorgon's Curse
Book 4 of 5 in Brownstone's Mythical CollectionView the full series
A Greek-myth adventure full of monsters, godly heroes and visual grandeur. A strong choice for children who like Percy Jackson-style ingredients but still need a beautifully illustrated, picture-book-length format.
- Best for6–10
- FormatPicture
- Length64 pp
- Read aloud~13 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Literary
Tone
- Adventurous
- Exciting
- Suspenseful
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The fourth Brownstone adventure travels into Greek mythology, where Leo enters a world of gods, monsters, curses and heroic expectations. The story draws on the familiar excitement of gorgons and legendary quests, but Joe Todd-Stanton's approach gives the mythic material a child-friendly shape: visually dramatic, full of danger, but not grim. Like the earlier books, it works as both a story and a first taste of mythology, using lavish illustrated spreads and comic-style pacing to make ancient legends feel immediate. The most interesting feature is its potential to challenge simple monster stories, asking whether the frightening figure at the centre of the curse is really only a menace. That gives the book a slightly more reflective edge alongside the adventure, making it especially useful for children who love mythological creatures but are ready to think about fear, reputation and empathy.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 6–10
- Read aloud · 5–9
- Independent · 7–10
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
3 / 5 · Some
Best for
- Mythology
- Greek myths
- Monsters
- Visual readers
- Gift book
Avoid if
- Very sensitive to monsters
- Prefers simple bedtime books
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Nightmares or fears
In the classroom
How it works in school.
Gorgeously illustrated myth-adventures from around the world — a brilliant gateway to myths and legends and strong read-alouds with clear quests to retell.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is the gorgon question — Leo entering Greek myth, gods and monsters and heroic expectations everywhere, the frightening figure at the centre of the curse turning out not to be quite the menace the legend says. The Brownstone for the Percy Jackson reader who wants the picture-book version.
- Adventure and freedom
- Surviving danger
- Making a difference
- Being special or chosen
Why parents love it
The fourth Brownstone — Greek myth treated with empathy alongside spectacle, lavish illustrated spreads, the slightly more reflective edge about reputation and fear setting it apart from the earlier adventures.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Educational for adult too
- Conversation starter
- Great writing
In the series
Brownstone's Mythical Collection.
5 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Joe Todd-Stanton.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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