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Strong stuff : Herakles and his labors
by Harris, John, 1950 July 7-
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J 292 HAR
J. Paul Getty Museum,, c2005.
1 v. (unpaged) : col. ill., map ; 31 cm.
 
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Howe Library J 292 HAR Children's nonfiction Available
Syndetic Solutions - BookList Review for ISBN Number 0892367849
Strong Stuff : Herakles and His Labors
Strong Stuff : Herakles and His Labors
by Harris, John; Baseman, Gary (Illustrator)
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BookList Review

Strong Stuff : Herakles and His Labors

Booklist


From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

Gr. 4-7. The author of Greece! Rome! Monsters! 0 (2002) offers another irreverent look at the ancient world in this recap of Herakles' labors, or "super-difficult jobs." Harris maintains an infectious tongue-in-cheek tone while still adhering to the traditional myths in each brief account. On Herakles' slaying of the Hydra, for example, Harris writes, "It's really tough, if not impossible, to kill an immortal head," and he describes Cerberus, the ferocious, three-headed guard dog to the underworld, as "a handful." Emphatic words and phrases such as "disgusting!" and "freaked out" enliven the text even more. Animator Baseman contributes wildly colored, energetic cartoon paintings of the "original he-man" and his monster foes as well as a map of ancient Greece, which is printed on the book's endpapers. Hilarious and instantly accessible, these are winning selections for children encountering the myths for the first time and for those with some familiarity. Older students may want to use these as models for their own retellings of fairy tales, myths, and classic lore. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2005 Booklist

Syndetic Solutions - School Library Journal Review for ISBN Number 0892367849
Strong Stuff : Herakles and His Labors
Strong Stuff : Herakles and His Labors
by Harris, John; Baseman, Gary (Illustrator)
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School Library Journal Review

Strong Stuff : Herakles and His Labors

School Library Journal


(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 2-6-From vanquishing the Nemean Lion to rounding up the Golden Apples, this exuberant picture book recounts Herakles's "super-difficult jobs" with campy humor and visual elan. Depicting a brawny hero sporting a loincloth, lace-up sandals, and perpetual five-o'clock shadow, Baseman's revved-with-colors cartoon artwork is a perfect fit for Harris's tongue-in-cheek text. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Syndetic Solutions - The Horn Book Review for ISBN Number 0892367849
Strong Stuff : Herakles and His Labors
Strong Stuff : Herakles and His Labors
by Harris, John; Baseman, Gary (Illustrator)
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The Horn Book Review

Strong Stuff : Herakles and His Labors

The Horn Book


(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

With Herakles looking more like a cartoon Tarzan, the author-illustrator team has fun with the strong man's storied exploits. Each double-page spread recounts concise, sometimes tongue-in-cheek versions of one of the tales about the twelve labors imposed by King Eurystheus of Mycenae. Useful pronunciation guides will aid adults and children; a map on the endpapers will help readers track the hero. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Syndetic Solutions - Publishers Weekly Review for ISBN Number 0892367849
Strong Stuff : Herakles and His Labors
Strong Stuff : Herakles and His Labors
by Harris, John; Baseman, Gary (Illustrator)
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Publishers Weekly Review

Strong Stuff : Herakles and His Labors

Publishers Weekly


(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Greek hero Herakles (aka Hercules) "made the world a more livable place by removing terrifying creatures and major nuisances," but this jokey cartoon retelling doesn't do justice to his blood-and-guts battles. Herakles is the illegitimate son of Zeus, tormented by Zeus's wife, Hera, and he serves King Eurystheus of Mycenae, who sends him on 12 dangerous missions. His first duty involves "The Nemean Lion. Assignment: Kill it." According to Harris's (Greece! Rome! Monsters!) slangy text, the lion's "skin was so thick, no arrow could pierce it. Ditto spears. Ditto Herakles' trusty sword." So the hero strangles the lion and takes its skin ("a kind of gross souvenir") to wear as armor and "because-let's face it-it looked so good on his extremely athletic body." Graphic artist Baseman (Dumb Luck) paints Herakles as a muscular lummox in lace-up sandals. With his saucer eyes, pompadour and crosshatched five o'clock shadow, Herakles doesn't look like the sharpest tack, but he survives a pecking by the metal-beaked Stymphalian Birds and tames the man-eating Horses of Diomedes (with their blue fur and bloodshot eyes). Helpful "How's That Again?" footnotes supply pronunciation hints and the endpapers map the homes of creatures such as the Lernaean Hydra and the Cretan Bull (although smallish print undermines the readability). Harris's chuckling banter and Baseman's crudely painted images (dead things have X's for eyes) inject a wan comedy lacking in the original myths, but fail to make Herakles likable; he's just a dopey hunk doing odd jobs. Ages 8-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

 
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