Life just keeps getting better for Greek mythology fans! After 8 seasons National Geographic Kids award-winning, #1 kids and family podcast, Greeking Out, has now spun off a witty tie-in book by Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes, who also happen to be father and daughter. Get ready for Greeking Out: Epic Retellings of Classic Greek Myths.

“It’s been an amazing experience to get to work together professionally,” Hughes told PW. “Kenny introduced me to the world of imagination and creativity by telling me the world's best bedtime stories. He inspired me to become a writer myself.”

Years later, those bedtime stories have not gotten old, even though some of them have been around for hundreds of years. “The themes and lessons are still relevant today,” Curtis said. “You can learn a lot about things like the responsibility of leadership and power, the importance of courage, and the value of wisdom from Greek myths. You’ll also encounter baby-eating parents, shape-shifting, divine prophecies, and a large number of cows.”

The 20 myths Curtis and Hughes have gathered together feature fan favorites from the podcast as well as never-before-aired stories. As Curtis says, truly “there’s something for everyone.”

This newsletter was produced in partnership with National Geographic Kids.

Greek myths are alive, well, and inspiring a new generation. Greeking Out: Epic Retellings of Classic Greek Myths (National Geographic Kids) introduces readers to a pantheon of characters, from Athena to Zeus. Father-daughter writing team Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes spoke with PW about the circuitous manner in which the book came about (“from book to podcast to book”) and about refashioning the classic heroes, monsters, warriors, and decidedly dysfunctional families to appeal to today’s audience.

Greeking Out: Epic Retellings of Classic Greek Myths has an interesting backstory! Can you talk about the inspiration behind the project?

Curtis: We went from book to podcast to book. The Greeking Out podcast was originally a promotional idea to support Crispin Boyer’s Zeus the Mighty book series. In that book, the animals at the Mount Olympus Pet Center listen to the Greeking Out podcast and fancy themselves to be the ancient Greek gods. After one season, we realized that the podcast was quickly developing a life of its own and that kids and families really responded to the straightforward, fun approach we took to the stories and characters. And after eight seasons, it made sense to take those stories and wrap them up in a book!

Available September 2023

This kid-friendly collection of tales from Greek mythology showcases familiar favorites from National Geographic Kids’ wildly popular Greeking Out podcast as well as brand-new, never-before-aired stories. Join Persephone on her journey through the mystifying depths of the Underworld. Venture with Heracles as he tackles his 12 death-defying labors. Join scheming gods and goddesses, honorable—and not so honorable—heroes, and magnificent monsters on all their entertaining adventures.

Dynamic, playful illustrations coupled with laugh-out-loud storytelling and real information about ancient Greece—delivered by the all-knowing Oracle of Wi-Fi—make this collection of fabulous fables a fresh addition to any history lover's library.

Greeking Out at the U.S. Book Show

Join Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes in conversation with Kit Ballenger as they perform a segment from the Greeking Out podcast that, among other things, reveals the origins of the name of the G.O.A.T—Greatest Of All Time—hero Heracles.

11-Page Sneak Peek!

Now that you’ve heard a little about Herc, check out his full story in Greeking Out, which features "wrestling matches with lions, monsters with a bizarre number of necks, a lot of poop, and slobbering three-headed dogs."

Orpheus and Eurydice

Oh Muses! In this episode we tell the tale of two star-crossed lovers and their journey to the Underworld and back. We come across a bard with a lot of charisma, anti-snake propaganda, and dying of a broken heart.

Win a copy of Greeking Out and more

Enter for your chance to be one of 15 winners who will receive a copy of Greeking Out. Another 10 lucky winners will receive a copy of Greeking Out, plus a Zeus the Mighty prize pack, introducing the book that started it all! The prize pack includes a copy of Zeus the Mighty: The Quest for the Golden Fleas and some Zeus the Mighty swag.

The entry period has closed.

KENNY CURTIS has more than 30 years in children’s programming as a performer, writer, and producer. He is one of the creators of National Geographic Kids’ Greeking Out podcast series, which he hosts and cowrites alongside his daughter, Jillian Hughes. Together, Kenny and Jillian have helped develop a number of well-known kids’ content offerings for partners and platforms like Pinna, Tinkercast, Kidz Bop, and 8 Pound Gorilla Records. But Kenny may be best known as the human behind the long-running radio program The Animal Farm on SiriusXM’s original family music channel, Kids Place Live.

JILLIAN HUGHES is a professional writer with her heart in the kids and family industry. She’s a writer for National Geographic Kids’ Greeking Out podcast series and has contributed to other platforms including Pinna, Tinkercast, and iHeart. She also works as a copywriter crafting marketing collateral for numerous industries. While she enjoys working with all her clients, she is especially partial to collaborating with Kenny—who just happens to be her dad.