The Twelve Labors of Hercules

by James Riordan

Hercules, son of the god Zeus and a mortal woman, renowned for his great strength, performs twelve dangerous tasks to atone for an attack on his wife and children

Genres: Mythology, Greek Mythology, History, Picture Books, Childrens

64 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

Riōdan, Jeimuzu 1936-2012
Riordan, Dž.
Riordan, Džejms.
Riordan, James
Riordan, James William 1936-2012
Riordan, Jim, 1936-2012

James Riordan (10 October 1936 – 10 February 2012) was an English novelist, broadcaster, sports historian, association football player and Russian scholar.

Well known for his work Sport in Soviet Society, the first academic look at sport in the Soviet Union, and for his children's novels.

Reviews

[Mundo Gamusino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Antes de nada, desde Mundo Gamusino queremos agradecer a la editorial Vicens Vives su colaboración con el blog y el envío del libro para su reseña. Es un libro que esperábamos que nos gustase y que ha superado nuestras expectativas.

Como la mayoría sabéis, la mitología griega es de nuestras favoritas, y el personaje de Hércules siempre nos ha gustado mucho. cuando vimos la portada de este libro nos ha llamado mucho la atención, y nos ha recordado a una serie que daban en la tele cuando éramos pequeños, que trataba de los trabajos que tuvo que hacer Hércules en vida. Aunque en la serie lo ponen rubio, y según este libro era moreno.

Así que nos hemos aventurado a leer esta historia, y la verdad es que nos ha cautivado. Desde los motivos por los que Hércules tiene que hacer frente a sus doce trabajos, desde la relación de odio que Hera mantiene con él, y que Zeus, a pesar de ser el dios de dioses, no es capaz de aplacar la ira de su mujer.

Desde el principio del libro nos cuentan cuáles son las razones que tiene Hera para odiar de semejante manera a Hércules. Y está muy bien explicado todo lo que nuestro protagonista ha hecho y lo que tiene que hacer para expiar sus pecados.

Las ilustraciones que vienen en este libro también nos han gustado mucho, ya que creemos que reflejan a la perfección todo lo que nos cuentan en la trama.

Y, como siempre, todos los libros de Vicens vives tienen una introducción a la historia que vamos a leer, y al final tiene unas actividades de comprensión lectora.

[Megan Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hero
Riordan, James. The Twelve Labors of Hercules (1997). This book discusses the birth and death of Hercules as well as the twelve labors he endured. Hera is upset that Zeus has decided to name Hercules after her since he is not her son. She vows to make Hercules’ life as difficult and miserable as possible in retaliation. One day, Hera envelopes Hercules in a fit of madness and he throws his wife and children into a fire. Overcome with grief, he visits an Oracle to decide his fate. The Oracle tells Hercules he must serve his half-brother King Eurystheus for twelve years, completing twelve tasks. Once they are successfully completed, he will find peace. The story continues on to discuss each of the twelve labors Hercules endures and the book eventually ends by revealing his final fate. The book does not go into a lot of detail, which makes it more suitable for younger readers. The illustrations are simple, but help show the setting and fill in the details the story lacks. The images are vibrant and colorful and give a very cheerful “heavenly” glow, lending to the mythical setting of the story. The motif of the story is strength and skill, perseverance, and jealousy. Target Audience: Upper elementary (4-6).

[Wanhedaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bueno... la historia de Hércules no es tan rosa como Disney nos la contó :)

Este es un librito muy dinámico que hace un resumen de la vida de Hércules y los doce trabajos que tuvo que hacer antes de alcanzar su inmortalidad. A mí me encanta la mitología griega entonces ya conocía mucho de la verdadera historia de Hércules o Heracles, pero me encantó haber destinado unas horitas a leer este libro.

Es un muy ameno, con capítulos muy cortos que se dividen en cada uno de sus trabajos, está narrado en forma de cuento y además tiene unas ilustraciones muy bonitas, me parece perfecto para introducir a los niños y a los adolescentes en la mitología griega.

[Coeruleum · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Latin teacher read this in class substituting "Hercules" with the Greek "Heracles." In hindsight, reading a children's book about Hercules to a high school Latin class seems mildly silly, especially since we were reading short stories about Roman life and actual Roman literature in classical Latin, but I found it an inspirational story at the time and, admittedly, for many years afterward.

[Sarita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know so many details about Hercules. I love Greek mythology and this book provided me more information to learn about gods and Hercules life.

[Isabel Jazmín · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creo que se podrían trabajar bien con los pubertos, tanto en clase por su brevedad como para realizar actividades en casa.

[Sandy Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una enseñanza en cada trabajó.
Aprendí que Hércules era tan humano como yo ...
Se equivocaba, la irá era su debilidad y era súper emocional .

[_.eesstherr._ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5⭐

[Reading Through the Lists · Rating 4 out of 5]

Succinct without being overly sanitized, and enhanced by gorgeous illustrations from Christina Balit. The 2nd graders greatly enjoyed it!

4 stars.

[Sarah Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book! I have always loved Greek mythology so when I picked up this book about Hercules I was extremely excited to delve into the stories of Hercules. I didn't expect the book to go into a tremendous amount of detail about the twelve labors of the mighty Hercules but I feel that James Riordan did a wonderful job of telling the stories. Riordan made the stories easy to follow, quick and to the point. He gave the perfect amount of details and dialogue and didn't add any unnecessary parts to the tales. The illustrations were very interesting. The illustrations depicted Hercules as very stoic and serious which is understandable with what he had been through in his lifetime, but I always pictured Hercules as confident, smiley, and kind of flirtatious with the women. The illustrations bring a different feel to the story. The reader can see the sorrow and determination in Hercules's face through the illustrations. Instead of seeing Hercules as a cocky showoff, I saw him as a warrior who wanted to feel peace. I enjoy these new feelings I have toward Hercules and all because of how this book was presented.

[María Chávez · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Riordan have done an amazing job with the twelve jobs of Hercules, is a very interesting book that transports you to the ancient Greece where the fantasy is the most important thing, every single job was done in an impossible way that was in some point very believable by the reader. James Riordan makes from an ancient myth something new and incredible. I recommended this book to people who are interested in ancient mythology, history, culture and in enjoying a good book.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

More gruesome bedtime reading with the girl, who fell in love with Balit's illustrative style and is rushing through all her books. Hercules' story gets somewhat truncated, somewhat sanitized, and it isn't always too clear what the motivation is for the characters contending in the story. Still, the illustrations are fabulous.

[Cristina Berná Sola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro muy interesante si eres un amante de la mitología y el mundo clásico.

Lo leí cuando estudiamos al personaje de Hércules o Heracles en griego y me pareció un libro corto, ameno y muy ligero.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

While poorly illustrated, this was a fantastic read about the highs and lows of the life of Hercules. O.k. so mostly the lows, this future god had it ruff from the cradle. The Twelve Labors of Hercules would be a fantastic edition to any elementary/middle school classroom or library.

[Cristina Berná Sola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro muy interesante si eres un amante de la mitología y el mundo clásico.

Lo leí cuando estudiamos al personaje de Hércules o Heracles en griego y me pareció un libro corto, ameno y muy ligero.

[Kazyboleyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

disney nos engaña

[Teri · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read a couple of these every day, and my girls seems to really like them. When Herculues always wins without exerting any effort, it starts to get too redundant for my taste.

[Paul LaFontaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simplified version of the Hercules legend. Good to brush up on the actual labors, but thin and not as engaging as it could be. Did not enjoy this version.

[Beatriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book, I love how insightful, creative and useful mythology is. The learning from reading mythology is still very relevant today.

[Emma Hermione Cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Estupendo 💙