Journey back to ancient Greece and meet the greatest hero who ever lived--Hercules! With eleven difficult tasks behind him, he now must face the last and most terrifying. To bring back the three-headed monster dog, Cerberus, Hercules must enter the Underworld--where the dead go--and come back alive! With a bold storytelling voice, Robert Burleigh takes the reader into the classical world of Greek mythology and reveals the courage and valor of this larger-than-life hero. Award-winning illustrator Raul Colón’s dazzling artwork imbues this classical story with magic and power.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-A picture-book retelling of the final labor of Hercules, hauntingly presented. Told in the third-person present tense, the story follows the legendary hero into the underworld to retrieve the three-headed dog, Cerberus. The narrative is spare, broken into short, poetic lines: "Soundlessly,/They push into the river./And the rocky bank fades behind them." This may be more detailed than some readers want, but they will be drawn in and revel in the story. The success of this version depends heavily on Colon's watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations. His characteristically golden hues work well for the Mediterranean and mythical setting, and the varying dimensions of the pictures (from single, to page-and-a-half, to double-page banners) on the wide pages make the text and visual narration move from left to right as if on a scroll. A couple of details mar this otherwise lovely book. The bizarrely cartoonlike illustration of the Gorgon seems out of style with the otherwise unified-looking characters and creatures. Also, Burleigh's choice not to include Eurystheus (the king who commands Hercules's labors and is shamed by his success in this one) or Hercules's return of Cerberus to the underworld (readers don't know what happens to the creature in this version) make the telling seem unfinished. Still, this is an enticing contribution.
Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Using language that draws on the strength of its subject yet speaks in the lilt of poetry, Burleigh retells the story of Hercules and his last labor. As Hercules enters the cave to Hades, readers learn about the hero's past as he remembers the 12 labors, including the hydra with nine heads and escaping the Amazons. Then, it is off to the River Styx and the land from which no one returns. On his journey, he sees King Hades and his sad queen, Persephone, and Hercules runs past Rhadamanthus, who judges the dead, and pitiful Sisyphus. Then appears the massive dog with three heads, each covered with hissing snakes. "Cerberus! Cerberus at last!" Burleigh's vivid imagery reaches its pinnacle as Hercules fights the monster. It is here also that Colon's art is at its most intense, a jumble of movement, strength, and horror. This is in contrast to some of the other pictures, which display Colon's usual fine mix of texture and color yet lack the virility the story demands. Overall, however, choosing only one labor to illustrate is a fine way to hone the tale for younger readers, and this certainly makes a dramatic alternative to the Disney version of Hercules. A brief foreword introduces the story of Hercules and his 12 labors and provides a list of characters and places. Ilene Cooper
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good For Short Attention Spans,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Hercules (Hardcover)
"Hercules" tells the story of the twelfth and final labor. This truncated version of the Hercules myth is good for young children who are unable to concentrate on a full retelling of all twelve labors. But the best thing about this book are Raul Colon's illustrations. Colon is a talented illustrator and his richly evocative images really bring the story to life. Finally, if your child has the ability to focus on a more detailed version of the Hercules myth, I would recommend James Riordan's version.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
He stands in front of an opening Between two huge rocks, As the sun sets over the shore Of the Black Sea. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
He stands in front of an opening Between two huge rocks, As the sun sets over the shore Of the Black Sea. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 2
books:
- My Mama Had A Dancing Heart (Orchard Paperbacks) by Libba Gray in Back Flap
- A Weave Of Words by Robert D San Souci in Back Flap
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
