Monstrous Tales Book Review

Monstrous Tales: Stories of Strange Creatures and

Fearsome Beast from Around the World 

Illustrated by Sija Hong

Published by Chronicle Books, September, 2020

Review
Monstrous Tales: Stories of Strange Creatures and Fearsome Beast from Around the World will take you literally around the world – starting in Japan and ending in China, with 19 stops along the way, including the Pueblo of Isleta, the Philippines, Guyana, and Syria. T and I were both delighted to read stories that were completely new to us! And longer than in our other compendiums. (That's saying something. I only share a fraction of the monster books we read.)

With complex language and a high level of detail, Monstrous Tales transports the reader to terrifying forests, deep lakes, and menacing spirit lands. While the tales themselves were new to us, many themes and devices common to myth and fairytale appeared; T predicted (rightly) what would happen at different points, such as the youngest son overcoming the giant that killed his brothers in a Scottish tale.

Noteworthy also is the artwork. Fantastical illustrations by Sija Hong accompany each story, enticing readers to imagine and wonder what is to come. Hong's art is rich in color and detail, drawing the viewer in before he has even begun to read. Rich best describes all aspects of Monstrous Tales. It has our seal of approval.

A side note: This fits well with our monster atlases for teaching geography. (See these three books.) He's learning cardinal directions, oceans, and continents, and we also locate the countries of origin for the stories we read. Our system is working out pretty well. Now that we've added new monsters and countries to our knowledge base, I bet he'll be creating some new monster illustrations and LEGO creatures in the coming days!

Note: A review copy was provided by Chronicle Books upon request for the purposes of review.