Book Club › For club leaders › Club kits › Icarus and Daedalus
Icarus and Daedalus: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Ovid, a poet in Rome, wrote down this Greek myth about 2,000 years ago, with a sadder ending than ours.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). Daedalus, the great inventor, and his son Icarus are held on Crete by King Minos. Daedalus builds wings of feathers and wax so they can fly away. He warns Icarus not to fly too high or too low, but Icarus flies too close to the sun and the wax melts. In this telling Icarus survives.
The lesson, in one line. Enjoy the adventure, but don't be reckless.
Reading plan, by the story's parts. Meeting 1: Part One, “The Tower by the Sea” and Part Two, “Feathers and Wax”, pages 1–6 (about 5 minutes aloud); Meeting 2: Part Three, “The Sky” and Part Four, “The Sea” and Part Five, “High Enough”, pages 7–14 (about 7 minutes aloud). Each stop's own questions, which never give away what comes next: Icarus and Daedalus by chapter.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of Icarus and Daedalus?
The story's answer: Enjoy the adventure, but don't be reckless. Icarus ignores his father's warning and flies too high. - Why did Icarus fly too close to the sun?
The story's answer: He was so thrilled to be flying that he forgot his father's warning. The heat melted the wax in his wings. - Does Icarus die in the myth?
The story's answer: In the old Roman version by Ovid, he falls into the sea and drowns. In this retelling he survives and grows up to be an inventor. - What are Icarus's wings made of?
The story's answer: Daedalus makes them from feathers held together with wax. Icarus flies too near the sun, so the wax melts. - What does this myth explain, or try to explain?
Listen for: Many myths explain how something came to be: a season, an animal, a name. - Was the main character right or wrong? Was the ending fair?
Listen for: Myths are often hard on people; let the group disagree.
Did you know?
- Ovid, a poet in Rome, wrote down this Greek myth about 2,000 years ago, with a sadder ending than ours.
- Daedalus invented tools such as the saw, the drill and the level, according to the story.
- The wings are made of feathers held together with wax.
Activity: Make a new myth
Each reader explains something they see every day (why cats purr, why puddles dry up) with a short made-up myth of their own, told round the circle in three sentences.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- The sea where the story ends is still called the Icarian Sea.
Words to teach before you start
- craftsman: skilled maker
- labyrinth: giant maze
- beeswax: wax bees make
- flurry: swirling bunch
- drenched: soaking wet
Questions leaders ask
How long does a Icarus and Daedalus book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 12 minutes in all, so plan 2 meetings of about 30 to 45 minutes each, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is Icarus and Daedalus for?
It is written at Peabody level 12, a grade 7 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- The Trojan Horse (level 12)
- Arachne the Weaver (level 11)
- Persephone and the Seasons (level 11)
- The Twelve Labors of Hercules (level 11)
- Thor and the Stolen Hammer (level 11)
- Atalanta and the Golden Apples (level 10)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.