A BEAST C

Letter skills, vocabulary, and fantasy—oh my!

This oversized board book should fire the imaginations of a wide range of young readers, whether they’re mastering the alphabet or old enough to be captivated by the lore of myths and legends. Brilliant colors, a textured cover, and vivid images of creatures and monsters will intrigue and amuse but are unlikely to inspire nightmares. The text is rhymed and usually rhythmic, although the Loch Ness Monster, “aka Nessie,” entry has an amusing overabundance of syllables. The book opens on a scene of an explorer’s den, with a presumably ancient volume depicting dragons and rocs on the desk along with a unicorn horn, jackalope antlers, and a chart of the world depicting giant sea creatures swimming in the oceans. “The world is full of many beasties and creatures,” begins the text, “with all manner and type of magical features. / If you’d like to know more about these beasts in your midst, / then continue on and read this mythical list.” Entries begin with “A is for Alien, who zips through the skies. / B is for Basilisk, don’t look at its eyes!” Kraken, Mermaid, Phoenix, Sphinx, Unicorn, Vampire, and Zombie also make the cut. If you were wondering: “X is for... Xylophone Cat? OK—we made that one up.” The last two pages are a glossary.

Fantastical and only slightly frightful fun.