ARC Copy...although I did appreciate including the more exotic and unknown creatures from all parts of the world, the reading experience would have been improved if illustrations all the creatures named were included (in particular the ones with names that are hard to pronounce).

I really enjoy myths and mythical creatures are something that I wanted to read more about and this was a great book to do that. It was very informative and I found it such an interesting read. I enjoyed the range of creatures that it went through, I had heard of some but others were new to me. I liked how it explained them and this book also has illustration which help with the story.

This type of book BEGS to have illustrations of each entry. The ones that are included only make me wish I could see more. I appreciate the unusual approach to arrange these creatures by geography and to put the focus on their cultural context.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Schiffer Publishing Ltd. for allowing me to receive this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Monsters and Mythical Creatures from around the World By Heather Frigiola with Illustrations by Sky Cyble

What I like about this was how quick and fun it was to read. I feel like it is perfect for younger readers to learn about all the different creatures and myths around the world. I love that it was separated by location and talked about all the different cultures that reference similar monsters! It definitely has a younger target audience and I think that is really smart.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to see any of the illustrations within this ARC so I can not give you an idea of the art style. If it is like the cover I think they would be fairly simplistic but also very cute and not overly scary for younger kids.

My only negative is that I wish it felt a little bit more like a story for each monster / creature and not so much like a textbook because it may lose the attention of readers. I feel like you could have gotten the same information in a bit more of a fun way to have a little different of a reading experience.

3 Stars!!

If I had to sum up this book I'd say it's very interesting and informative. You get a ton of information but not to the point where it's overwhelming. Also the illustrations help a lot with imagining those creatures. Since they are myths there can be more than one description of how the creature looked like, so I was sometimes surprised by the authors picks. Also, while reading this book I found myself fascinated by the differences between the creatures appearances in this book and how they are shown in the movies. Especially the Harry Potter movies. Now some creatures I wouldn't mind meeting in the dark but most of them I'd rather not, since what they have in common is death and pain for anyone that they encounter. I was most curious about the European myths since I am from Europe and I'm therefore more familiar with them. But at the same time I liked to learn about the myths from the rest of the world. All in all you could say that I really enjoyed reading this book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone that likes to learn more about the myths of this world.

For those interested in myths and monsters this is definitely one to have on your bookshelf. The detailed description from Heather Frigiola and wonderful illustrations from Sky Cybele make this book a pleasure to read, appealing to both adults and children.

Each chapter of 'Monsters and Mythical Creatures from around the World' provides description of creatures within a geographical area of the earth, with some known and a lot more unknown. Not only is it a joy to read but also quite educational for all.

Even though it was provided as a pdf from Netgalley for an honest review the presentation of this book enhances the reading experiences and is one I will probably buy for myself and one for a present.

* I received this book on Net Galley*

Purchase the book at; https://www.schifferbooks.com/monsters-and-mythical-creatures-from-around-the-world-6745.html

I chose to request this book because my knowledge of monsters and creatures is very limited to those that are either common tropes (such as the Loch Ness Monster) or things that are studied in the average Classics course. I am trying to be more aware of different cultures as part of my own academic research and I thought this would be a fun supplement.

There are few books that within a few pages I know that it is unlikely that my rating will change. This is one of those books. On page six under the heading "A Message for Myth Seekers," it reads: Think about the new myths being created and what parts of the old myths are left behind. Did the creature come from Western civilization originally, or Eastern civilization, or an Indigenous society? Is there cultural appropriation involved? How much do you think the media creator understood about the original myth and the culture that imagined it?

Immediate five stars.

Words cannot describe how brilliant I think this book is (but I will try my best!). "Monsters and Mythical Creatures from around the World" is divided into geographic areas and then within each area 24 creatures are discussed. While the description of each character is less than a page, it does a marvelous job of explaining all possible origins of each creature and how they have been discussed since then. It is both shameful and enlightening to see how many of the creatures in North America come from Indigenous societies I have not heard of-- and I think this is one of the things the book does well. It gives you just enough information to feel like you get the idea of what is happening but not so much that you feel you know everything-- there are many groups and monsters I now fully intend to research now that I see how fully my knowledge is lacking.

One of the notable moments for me was reading about the Side-Hill Gouger. I knew the name sounded familiar and then I remembered it was a character in the "McBroom" books by Sid Fleischman! I (and my mother when I asked her) assumed that this was just something that Fleishman had made up. This really emphasised the idea that when we read books and there are different sorts of creatures we tend to assume that the author made them up and not think any more on it-- which is rather problematic.

Heather Frigiola is a cultural anthropologist and it is really obvious in the best way. Each description is thorough and brilliantly written and Sky Cybele's illustrations enhance the reading experience. This book is a bit dense so it may not be the best for a young reader unless they are really into reading/monsters. However, as someone in her mid-twenties I am absolutely enthralled and will definitely need this in hardcover.

I truly look forward to Heather Frigiola's future endeavours.

A fascinating and detailed treatment of mythical creatures around the world — sure to spark the imagination of readers (as well as to inform).