I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great book. Lots of monster information. Great pictures. OVerall, just a fun read.

This is a fantastic book! I enjoyed it, and I know that students will, too. It is much, much more than just a monster info book, thanks to the historical background and scientific facts. I highly recommend it!!!

This book was stupendously interesting! It covers 8 famous monster-ish creatures- Frankenstein's monster, vampires, werewolves, Bigfoot, zombies, kraken, King Kong, and Godzilla. We get not only the history of each creature, but the science behind it- what is possible about each, and what isn't, with in depth information to back it up. There is so much information, but it never feels overwhelming or dull, and never talks down to its reader. The artwork is wonderful, dark and colorful, with lots of diagrams, timelines, and charts to help convey the information. The back of the book includes a good glossary, index, and bibliography. This book is so much fun to look at, to flip through, to sit and read from cover to cover! I had a hard time putting it down, and I'm pretty sure my nephews will get a copy of this for Christmas!

#Monstrous #NetGalley

I'm a little floored by how much I enjoyed this book. I was expecting parts of it - the science that disproves various monsters. But I didn't expect to learn so much. First we get history for each monster: where they first appear on record, they way their portrayal has changed over the years, and different appearances they've made. Then there's the science that surrounds them. The nutrition contend in a human. Infection rates. The physical limitations on large animals. Even the science of blood pressure. Each fact adds to the unlikelihood of a monster and teaches you a little more about the world around you. This is a great way to engage a kid with an inclination for the offbeat in the sciences.

Monstrous: The Lore, Gore, and Science behind Your Favorite Monsters by Carlyn Beccia is a children's non fiction book. Could Dr. Frankenstein's machine ever animate a body? Why should vampires drink from veins and not arteries? What body parts are best for zombies to eat? (It's not brains.) This fascinating encyclopedia of monsters delves into the history and science behind eight legendary creatures, from Bigfoot and the kraken to zombies and more. Find out each monster's origin story and the real-world history that informed it, and then explore the science of each creature in fun and surprising ways. Tips and infographics—including monster anatomy, how to survive a vampire attack, and real-life giant creatures of the deep sea—make this a highly visual and fun-to-browse book.

Monstrous is well organized and written. The book offers a historic and scientific background to some of the legends of monsters, magic, and more. The text is well written. It is very informative, with bits of humor throughout. Even when the subject gets a little dense or shares what I would consider fairly well known information, the text never feels unaccessible or condescending. I enjoyed that even while I knew a great deal of the information- as I am a fan or folklore and mythology- there were some new things to learn as well as some deep enjoyment in seeing some of my more esoteric knowledge confirmed or expanded on. I also greatly enjoyed the artwork in the illustrations and the the styles for the backgrounds and infographics. It was on point and helped reinforce the information, keep the reader's interest, and entertain. The combination of fact and fun was pretty much perfect. The author even took the time to mention when science has been wrong, I think this is important to remind all readers because it shows that there is always more to learn and more research that can be done. I was very happy to see a bibliography, glossary, and index in the endpages. Too often I see these things neglected or poorly done in children's non fiction- expecting them to ignore it or not notice. In this book the list of sources and citations was very well done and could result in interested readers doing further reading, investigating, and research on their own. This encouragement always makes me happy.

Monstrous is a well written book that offers the tools of science, history, and a little humor to explain the truth about creatures like vampire, zombie, and more. Good for monster fans, and for giving fact based information that could ease the fears of some that are non so fond of monsters. I just pre ordered this to share with my kids.

To be posted 9/10/19.

I absolutely adored this book. The art was amazing, at times creepy and other times cute, and often blending the two in a most excellent way. The information the book provided was on point. It let you have that supernatural element you're looking for, but ground you in reality with it too. I especially liked reading the Godzilla part because I'd just listened to a podcast that talked about similar things, about how Godzilla would basically be too big for his body and wouldn't be able to move. Plus Beccia mentioned The Lost Boys in the vampire section. Automatic favorite book for that.

I know this is being marketed as a children's book, but the amount of information in here makes me think it's not for very young kids. Unless they're super into this stuff and it'll hold their attention. Otherwise it's a bit dense for really young kids. Maybe 8 and up would be a good place to start. But hey, if you can start them younger on the creepy and the kooky, I full support that. And MONSTROUS would be a good place to start them.

5

This book was so fantastic that I want a copy for myself. Love the numerous creatures covered and all the info on both myth and fact. To top it off the artwork is fun and humorous! This would be great from middle grade readers up to adults and should be in all school and public libraries :)