Twelve Labors of Hercules

by Rc Cerasini

Although he is the strongest man in the world, Hercules must also use his wits to complete the tasks that the jealous king has in store for him.  From giant ogres to fearsome Amazons, Hercules tackles his foes gamely. With the rollicking humor of a tall tale, this retelling is an exciting first step into Greek mythology.  

Genres: Mythology, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens

48 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

Reviews

[Paul Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good summary of the 12 labors of Hercules for young readers. However... although I understand that you can't tell elementary kids exactly WHY he had to do the labors (too violent & wrong), at least say something like "Hercules accidentally hurt someone and had to make up for it"--even that would be better than saying nothing for a reason. All this book says is he became a hero but "did not know what to do next" until the Oracle told him to do the 12 labors for the king. So, just because he was bored? Come on elementary writers, you can do better than that.

[Jennifer Wadman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introductory reader engaged my grandsons (ages 3 & 5). The illustrations were detailed and imaginative without being too scary. Solid introduction to this ancient lore

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned that Hercules had many adventures in fighting the Hydra and the mean lion and brought the stag with the golden horns to the King. He did not fail a single task, although the king tried to get the hardest tasks in the world. Hercules was very strong. The king didn't want Hercules to be as strong as he is, so he gave them hard tasks.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

"love" the goofy (not intentionally) 80s illustrations

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book my younger son told me about and I just had to read it. I'm so glad I did. Hercules is a much more fascinating character than I'd ever given him credit for.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a little easy reader on Hercules. Ha! The only negative about this one is it is out of print and hard to get. I finally found a nice used copy.