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Hercules
Provides the story of Hercules and his importance in Roman mythology, including his connection to such figures as King Eurystheus and Queen Hippolyte, and describes the role of myths in the modern world.
- GenresHistory
24 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 16, 2015
Once Zeus was unfaithful to his wife, Hera. The result of this infidelity was Hercules (a.k.a. Heracles), and although Zeus was fond of his growing son, Hera was NOT. When Hercules had grown up, Hera caused him to temporarily lose his mind, resulting in his murdering his own wife and children. As a penance for his actions, Hercules was soon set to twelve impossible labors, hoping that by performing them he would be redeemed for his horrible deeds.
When I reached Hercules in my Disney movie source material read-through, I wanted to find a short, simple book clearly and neatly detailing the original legend, and that's exactly what this book is. It's a little watered-down for very young readers, but it gets all the main elements in, and it describes the legend of Hercules and his famous labors pretty tidily. The writing isn't anything remarkable, but kids interested in Greek mythology will find this book (and the series) fun and informative. I also like the inclusion of classical art in various media, maps and photos of actual locations that figure into the myth.
As I read this I was reminded of a lot of little details in the Disney movie that I don't know if I ever realized were inspired directly by events and characters in the original myth, from character names and settings to actual elements of the Labors. Sure, some figures were altered or combined, but whatever, this is mythology, if you can't play around with and adapt mythology, what CAN you adapt? I think it's a pretty great Disney movie, and making a more sinister threat with a more immediate goal was a pretty smart move.
This short book neatly outlines the myth of Hercules and his legendary twelve labors. It doesn't go into many details regarding some of the more... grown-up elements of the story, which leads to a couple of glossed over spots, but it's pretty thorough as to the key events and it features some nice photos of classical artwork.
When I reached Hercules in my Disney movie source material read-through, I wanted to find a short, simple book clearly and neatly detailing the original legend, and that's exactly what this book is. It's a little watered-down for very young readers, but it gets all the main elements in, and it describes the legend of Hercules and his famous labors pretty tidily. The writing isn't anything remarkable, but kids interested in Greek mythology will find this book (and the series) fun and informative. I also like the inclusion of classical art in various media, maps and photos of actual locations that figure into the myth.
As I read this I was reminded of a lot of little details in the Disney movie that I don't know if I ever realized were inspired directly by events and characters in the original myth, from character names and settings to actual elements of the Labors. Sure, some figures were altered or combined, but whatever, this is mythology, if you can't play around with and adapt mythology, what CAN you adapt? I think it's a pretty great Disney movie, and making a more sinister threat with a more immediate goal was a pretty smart move.
This short book neatly outlines the myth of Hercules and his legendary twelve labors. It doesn't go into many details regarding some of the more... grown-up elements of the story, which leads to a couple of glossed over spots, but it's pretty thorough as to the key events and it features some nice photos of classical artwork.
March 19, 2014
Hercules is a book about the myth of Hercules. It discusses his birth from Zeus and Hera, the command from the oracle telling him to live with his cousin, and the many different labors that Hercules participated; killing Nemean, killing the many-headed hydra, capturing two mythical animals, cleaning King Augeas’ stables, killing Stymphalian Birds, and many more. After finishing his many labors, Hercules got married and became a God. This book discusses the many influences that myths, like Hercules, has on the world still today.
This book has rich vocabulary. Given the topic, there are words that were used a long time ago that people don’t usually hear much anymore. Students will probably be unfamiliar with some of these terms. I think students could learn a lot about descriptive and rich vocabulary from a book like this one. I would read this aloud to a small group and talk about some of the words that we didn’t understand and how we could find out what the meaning of the word is.
This book has rich vocabulary. Given the topic, there are words that were used a long time ago that people don’t usually hear much anymore. Students will probably be unfamiliar with some of these terms. I think students could learn a lot about descriptive and rich vocabulary from a book like this one. I would read this aloud to a small group and talk about some of the words that we didn’t understand and how we could find out what the meaning of the word is.
May 17, 2016
This would be nice addition to any elementary class covering Mythology (typically 5th or 6th grade). While the information focuses predominantly on Hercules, other Greek and Roman Gods and heroes are mentioned. The layout is done very well with various works of mythological art.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews