AUTHOR: Paul Storrie
PENCILS: Steve Kurth
INKS: Barbara Schulz
COLORS: Hi-Fi Design
LETTERING: Bill Hauser
PUBLISHER: Lerner Publishing Group
GENRE: Mythology (Greek)
FORMAT: Library binding
PAGES: 48
COLOR: Full Color
ISBN-10: 0-8225-3084-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-8225-3084-8
STORY SYNOPSIS
From the website:
“Famous for his superhuman strength, Hercules is the most popular hero in Greek mythology. The son of Zeus — king of the gods — and a mortal mother, Hercules faces the wrath of Zeus’s wife Hera, who resents her illegitimate stepson and vows to bring him misery. With her magical powers, she tricks Hercules into performing a series of twelve seemingly impossible labors, each one a test of his strength, courage, cunning, and fighting skill. Is Hercules strong enough to foil her scheme? For this exciting retelling of the twelve labors, author Paul Storrie consulted the classic work The Age of Fable (1859), by American Thomas Bulfinch, and Edith Hamilton’s Mythology (1942), both of which are considered the best resources about on ancient myths and legends. Artist Steve Kurth also relied on historical research to accurately bring to life the world of ancient Greece.”
STORY REVIEW
This graphic adaptation of HERCULES is a quick, action-oriented tale of strength and cleverness. Hercules moves from task to task, defeating his foe, much to the chagrin of Eurystheus. The pacing makes this story easy for a wide range of readers and builds interest in Greek mythology and also in reading. What I appreciate in the story design is the desire I feel to learn more – more about Hercules and Greek myth. Motivation and inspiration are keys to children reading.
The writer carefully edited the story of Hercules’ descent into madness, killing his wife and children. In this adaptation, Hercules simply goes to the oracle for some unknown reason. Most likely, this edit was made in order to make the book more suitable for children, but it certainly leaves some questions, which are not necessarily a bad thing.
ART REVIEW
The art in HERCULES: THE TWELVE LABORS, like the other titles in the series, are realistic. The inks and colors are rendered to look real rather than cartoony, which helps with older readers.
AGE RECOMMENDATION
My Rating: Ages 9 and older
Publisher’s Rating: Ages 9-14
Publisher’s Reading Level: Grade 4
Publisher’s Interest Level: Grades 4-8
ATOS: 3.6
POINTS: 1.0
AR QUIZ NO.: 107488
Like many titles, I offer an age recommendation, but that is just a recommendation. If a child shows interest I recommend allowing them to explore it. Myth is one of those subjects that fascinate some children and that interest should be nurtured and encouraged, regardless of Lexile ratings or age levels.
BE AWARE
It’s Greek mythology, so there are gods and goddesses, mysticism, magic, and the like.
IN THE CLASSROOM
So many uses in the elementary and middle school classroom, it’s boggling. My friend, Paul Epps, created a lesson plan (as part of a unit) comparing and contrasting myth with science. He used HERCULES as part of that lesson, which will be published in a textbook on literacy Spring 2009. The students analyze the purpose of myth and science to a culture and the differing roles each play within that society. Can a human being really do the things that Hercules did? What is the science behind the twelve labors?
Myth strikes interest in children, especially boys. Students are drawn to the mythological creatures and characters, which makes this book (and the others in the series) important. Not only are communication arts lessons a plenty with this title, but history, politics, sports, and science.
OTHER INFORMATION
Included is a synopsis of the mythos of Hercules, a glossary, index, resources for further study, and background information on creating the graphic novel, and information about the creators.
Other titles in the Myth and Legend series include these Greek, English, Chinese, African, Norse, Arabian, Egyptian, and Japanese tales:
ALI BABA: FOOLING THE FORTY THIEVES
AMATERASU: RETURN OF THE SUN
ARTHUR & LANCELOT: THE FIGHT FOR CAMELOT
ATALANTA: THE RACE AGASINT DESTINY
BEOWULF: MONSTER SLAYER
DEMETER & PERSEPHONE: SPRING HELD HOSTAGE
GUAN YU: BLOOD BROTHERS TO THE END
HERCULES: THE TWELVE LABORS
THE HERO TWINS: AGAINST THE LORDS OF DEATH
ISIS & OSIRIS: TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
JASON: QUEST FOR THE GOLDEN FLEECE
KING ARTHUR: EXCALIBUR UNSHEATHED
ODYSSEUS: ESCAPING POSEIDON’S CURSE
MY RECOMMENDATION:
Highly Recommended
For the target audience, this book is a perfect addition to the classroom.
PENCILS: Steve Kurth
INKS: Barbara Schulz
COLORS: Hi-Fi Design
LETTERING: Bill Hauser
PUBLISHER: Lerner Publishing Group
GENRE: Mythology (Greek)
FORMAT: Library binding
PAGES: 48
COLOR: Full Color
ISBN-10: 0-8225-3084-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-8225-3084-8
STORY SYNOPSIS
From the website:
“Famous for his superhuman strength, Hercules is the most popular hero in Greek mythology. The son of Zeus — king of the gods — and a mortal mother, Hercules faces the wrath of Zeus’s wife Hera, who resents her illegitimate stepson and vows to bring him misery. With her magical powers, she tricks Hercules into performing a series of twelve seemingly impossible labors, each one a test of his strength, courage, cunning, and fighting skill. Is Hercules strong enough to foil her scheme? For this exciting retelling of the twelve labors, author Paul Storrie consulted the classic work The Age of Fable (1859), by American Thomas Bulfinch, and Edith Hamilton’s Mythology (1942), both of which are considered the best resources about on ancient myths and legends. Artist Steve Kurth also relied on historical research to accurately bring to life the world of ancient Greece.”
STORY REVIEW
This graphic adaptation of HERCULES is a quick, action-oriented tale of strength and cleverness. Hercules moves from task to task, defeating his foe, much to the chagrin of Eurystheus. The pacing makes this story easy for a wide range of readers and builds interest in Greek mythology and also in reading. What I appreciate in the story design is the desire I feel to learn more – more about Hercules and Greek myth. Motivation and inspiration are keys to children reading.
The writer carefully edited the story of Hercules’ descent into madness, killing his wife and children. In this adaptation, Hercules simply goes to the oracle for some unknown reason. Most likely, this edit was made in order to make the book more suitable for children, but it certainly leaves some questions, which are not necessarily a bad thing.
ART REVIEW
The art in HERCULES: THE TWELVE LABORS, like the other titles in the series, are realistic. The inks and colors are rendered to look real rather than cartoony, which helps with older readers.
AGE RECOMMENDATION
My Rating: Ages 9 and older
Publisher’s Rating: Ages 9-14
Publisher’s Reading Level: Grade 4
Publisher’s Interest Level: Grades 4-8
ATOS: 3.6
POINTS: 1.0
AR QUIZ NO.: 107488
Like many titles, I offer an age recommendation, but that is just a recommendation. If a child shows interest I recommend allowing them to explore it. Myth is one of those subjects that fascinate some children and that interest should be nurtured and encouraged, regardless of Lexile ratings or age levels.
BE AWARE
It’s Greek mythology, so there are gods and goddesses, mysticism, magic, and the like.
IN THE CLASSROOM
So many uses in the elementary and middle school classroom, it’s boggling. My friend, Paul Epps, created a lesson plan (as part of a unit) comparing and contrasting myth with science. He used HERCULES as part of that lesson, which will be published in a textbook on literacy Spring 2009. The students analyze the purpose of myth and science to a culture and the differing roles each play within that society. Can a human being really do the things that Hercules did? What is the science behind the twelve labors?
Myth strikes interest in children, especially boys. Students are drawn to the mythological creatures and characters, which makes this book (and the others in the series) important. Not only are communication arts lessons a plenty with this title, but history, politics, sports, and science.
OTHER INFORMATION
Included is a synopsis of the mythos of Hercules, a glossary, index, resources for further study, and background information on creating the graphic novel, and information about the creators.
Other titles in the Myth and Legend series include these Greek, English, Chinese, African, Norse, Arabian, Egyptian, and Japanese tales:
ALI BABA: FOOLING THE FORTY THIEVES
AMATERASU: RETURN OF THE SUN
ARTHUR & LANCELOT: THE FIGHT FOR CAMELOT
ATALANTA: THE RACE AGASINT DESTINY
BEOWULF: MONSTER SLAYER
DEMETER & PERSEPHONE: SPRING HELD HOSTAGE
GUAN YU: BLOOD BROTHERS TO THE END
HERCULES: THE TWELVE LABORS
THE HERO TWINS: AGAINST THE LORDS OF DEATH
ISIS & OSIRIS: TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
JASON: QUEST FOR THE GOLDEN FLEECE
KING ARTHUR: EXCALIBUR UNSHEATHED
ODYSSEUS: ESCAPING POSEIDON’S CURSE
MY RECOMMENDATION:
Highly Recommended
For the target audience, this book is a perfect addition to the classroom.
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