Mythical Monsters

From the Basilisk to the Yowie, this book contains 44 impressively illustrated mythical monsters.

These monsters are neatly contained (!)according to their origin - `Ancient Legends and Folklore' includes the Black Dog, the Golem, the Leviathan and the Troll.
`Mythological Monsters' includes Cerberus, Scylla, the Hydra and the Wyvern.
`Media Monsters' feature Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, Gargantua, Godzilla, King Kong, Mothra (my personal favourite) and the Werewolf.
`Modern Monsters' currently includes creatures as diverse as Bigfoot, the Hopkinsville Goblin, the Jersey Devil, the Loch Ness Monster and the Yowie.

This is a book aimed at ages 7 and up. Reading it as an adult, I was impressed with the way in which the author included maps and information boxes describing the background to each monster. I was also impressed with the full colour artwork. Writing as a mother (and also as a 7 year old once upon a time, in a century now past) I am not sure that all seven year olds would be capable of differentiating fact from fantasy. Personally, I wouldn't suggest it as an unsupervised read at that age. Children are different: some will enjoy the pictures, accept the stories and move on. Others might incorporate the monsters into their own rich inner world and be afraid. Some children, though, will rejoice in an opportunity to explore myths and this book may well provide a useful starting point.

This is a book I would not hesitate to buy for some children, and welcome into my own library.