Book Review: Mythopedia: An Encyclopedia of Mythical Beasts and Their Magical Tales
I am not sure how I stumbled on Mythopedia: An Encyclopedia of Mythical Beasts and Their Magical Tales at NetGalley but I am glad I did. I was able to get a digital review copy of the hardback book that will be published on Tuesday.

What is Mythopedia?

From the West African fable of Anansi the Spider, to Michabo, the magical hare who rebuilt the world and Tanuki, the sweet but troublesome raccoon-dog of Japanese folklore, Mythopedia is an encyclopedia of mythical creatures that covers legends, tales and myths from around the world.

Lovingly created by the illustration duo behind popular flipbook Myth Match, Good Wives and Warriors, this book contains pages upon pages of cultural folklore from around the world.

Organized by geography (The Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia & Oceania), it offers a basic overview of mythological creatures from all over the globe. Plus, colorful and imaginative illustrations.

Some of the creatures will be familiar (most likely those from The Americas and Europe but some from Asia and Africa as well) while others are strange and exotic (Grootslang: and elephant-snake hybrid; Aun Pana: a creepy monster fish from the Amazon jungle; or Encantado: a bizarre shapeshifting dolphin).

Along with the basic descriptions of the creatures are short vignettes of folklore featuring that creature. These are not deep dives into mythology or particularly evocative literary adoptions of the myths. They provide an introduction but those looking for more depth will need to look elsewhere.

But where the book really shines is in the bright and evocative illustrations. Page after page of beautiful are illustrates the creatures and stories. They are colorful, with depth and texture and detail. There is a sense of play and joy even as some of the stories are dark and odd.

I would love to see what this looks like in full size hardback, but even in digital it was impressive. If you are looking for a beautifully illustrated introduction to mythological creatures of the world, Mythopedia would be a great place to start.

***Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
This book is beautifully illustrated and full of interesting facts and stories. I have never had so much fun learning about myths!

A beautiful book, colourful and full of illustrations that are as magical as the myths and stories inside!
I loved that it went around the world. with a bit of the myths from every place, from the americas to the oceania! Especially as they spoke about the Boto-Rosa from Brazil, here spoken as Encantado! I don't know if its the same or not, but the tale seems the same!

I received a digital ARC via Netgalley from the publisher though all thoughts are my own.

This is a beautifully illustrated book about myths and creatures from around the world. Many of the creatures I hadn't heard about before which was refreshing and told in such a unique way.

If you enjoy reading about mythological creatures, I highly recommend checking out this book for you'll be in for quite the treat!

Mythopedia is a beautifully illustrated primer for children who are interested in mythological creatures from around the world. Learn about Anansi, a West African spider god, and read about how he brought stories to the people. Read about shapeshifters like the Tanuki or Raven. This book is great for children and adults alike, it is for anyone starting out their learning journey into the mythology.

The art style was absolutely gorgeous and the stories were so interesting to read. I really enjoyed this and would truly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent book filled with different mythology & folklore from across the continents and their many cultures.

The artwork in this book is breathtaking and really adds to the enchanting atmosphere of learning about different folklore from different cultures.

All the different mythological creatures get a beautiful double-page spread, with some getting an extra double-page spread with a relating myth.

I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this stunning book.

Thank you, Netgalley and Laurence King Publishing Ltd
for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Mythopedia is a brilliantly illustrated encyclopedia of mythical beasts and fantastical creatures from around the world. The beautiful cover pulled me in from the moment I laid my eyes on it. The book is well researched and filled with enlightening information regarding various beasts and creatures often heard in lores. It was an absolute delight to read this book and a visual feast as well. I was awed by the vivid details added to the beautiful art in this book. The bright colors, the imagery this book presents is breathtaking!!

I had a lot of fun reading this book. The lores, myths, and mythical creatures from around the world are brought to us in its simplistic form and is very much informative and engaging. The history of the different cultural myths and the stories passed down from different generations are also very well explained. Some of the magical beasts are familiar to me from different fantasy books, while a lot of them were new. I am so happy that I finally got this book and this helped me understand the origins of these myths, folklores, and the beasts. This was so much fun!!

While this book is geared for Middle Grade I do believe this will be equally liked by age groups higher than that as well. This is for everyone who loves mythology, mythical and fantastical beasts that inhabit different countries based on their culture. You will be able to learn more about the origins of some of the well known fantastical creatures along with amazing illustrations. It is also a short read and quick to get through. I gave this book 5 stars and enjoyed it immensely. Highly recommend checking this out.

This book is truly stunning. The art is still in black and white so I’m super excited to see it in full color when it gets released.
The stories were also really interesting, and I knew only a few beforehand. I appreciate that they included mythical creatures from all continents as we are usually only used to hear about the European mythical creatures, especially from Ancient Greek/Rome.

This is a stunning book full of interesting information, culture and exquisite illustrations. The colour bursts off the page and I loved the detail. It is great to have stories and tales related to different myths threaded throughout and I really enjoyed learning about so many lesser known myths and magical creatures. This book will certainly enrich any non-fiction collection.

This is a wonderful book for children about myths; the illustrations are themselves magical and alluring. Embedded with geography and a range of cultures, it is certain to appeal to children’s curious minds. It’s a book to be read and revisited a few times, the young reader will be able to explore different aspects of the book during each encounter with ‘Mythopedia’. Additionally, it also offers great stories behind the myths, being ‘Thunderbird and the whale’ my favourite one. These myths are the foundation of many great stories and reference to many films that the children might watch, it supports a deeper reading to other books and mediums and opportunity to create intertextuality - it is a great addition to any library.

A great starter guide to less known myths. The art work was beautiful and the stories were fun. I suggest this if you are looking for a quick read, want to learn more about mythology, or have a kid that is interested in mythology.

Gorgeous illustrations! This was a fun read of learning about some new myths from around the world with beautiful illustrations accompanying it. Some stories and myths were better than others but I loved learning more. I definitely want a copy of this for my shelves to read over and over.

Simply gorgeous and super exciting! I was mesmerized by two things in this book, the art and the mythology. I plan on rereading just for the illustrations! Great coverage of stories from all over the world too! Perfect for elementary and middle school readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc. I saw this cover and I immediately knew I had to request it since I've always been obsessed with mythology and legends from around the world, it was a must to request. And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. One thing I absolutely loved about this collections of mythical stories was the illustrations throughout the book, as well as, the different sections which were divided by continents. I think there was a pretty good mixture of different mythical beasts even though I wouldn't mind having a second part because I definitely think that more stories could be tackled. Overall, really good book with stunning illustrations.

This book is an introduction to a selection of mythological and fantastical beasts from different folklore from around the world. Grouped into continents you have the opportunity to learn more about the creatures and read some accompanying stories. I loved reading the classic tales of Fenrir and Cerberus that I know and love. I discovered so many new stories my favourites were The Birth of Pegasus and The Dragon Pearl.

4 ⭐

I'd highly recommend this book if you have an interest in Mythology, folklore and fairy tales! I can't wait to buy this so I can really take in the incredible artwork.

Mythopedia by Good Wives & Warriors is published by Laurence King Publishing and will be released in the UK on 14th September 2020.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Laurence King Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a good book to read to kids. The drawings are amazing as well. It's also a good introduction to mythology from around the world for anyone. I really enjoyed reading different stories from different mythologies, and I learned something new.

Mythopedia is beautifully illustrated encyclopedia of mythical creatures taken from myths, legends and tales from around the world. Each entry is a perfect length to engage, inspire and ignite the imagination. Mythopedia will be a perfect addition to any KS2 classroom.

This book is a encyclopedia of tales from around some of the planets myths and legends.

A beautiful book to introduce children to the world of mythical creatures from around the globe. Split into different continents, it takes the reader on a journey. The illustrations are spectacular, bright and colourful. I had heard of some of these myths but there’s a lot that I haven’t. Most myths are just a single page of description and what the creature does but some go into more depth with a story behind the myth which I enjoyed. Not a bad beginners book.

Thank you to Laurence King Publishing Ltd for the Advance copy of this book.

The absolute beauty of presentation and ability to provide national pride and culture, beliefs in just 2 pages with the amazing illustrations and color selection that perfectly represents the nation, costumer, national representation, is just perfection,
In 2 pages the authors were able to give idea, data, information, illustration, the mythology behind, associated beliefs, colors of the national costumes that present beasts and creatures...
The book presents basic beasts and beliefs of continents by perfectly depicting the myth itself...
Language and interest keeping are absolute, without a question, a five-star worth content, illustrations, colors, just make you dive deep into the culture you know so little about...
References to initial myths are done beautifully, any child will be just drawn like a butterfly to these colors and objects, I am sure it took enormous research to understand and present each small symbols with the presentation of the myth.

I am so glad the authors and publishers presented such a treasure to young readers, helping to bring up a generation of curious and open-minded myth-lovers.

If possible, upon publishing and printing, please share a copy with me, I will treasure this book forever!
Absolutely stunning!