Gerrie McCall

I got this book from a book fair back when I was in grade school and I haven't let it go since. It's a valuable source of memories and inspiration. Short in length, but it broadened my horizons somewhat and told me legends of dragons I had never heard of before. The captions give relevant, extra trivia as well as describe the biology of the dragon too. The art is overall okay, some illustrations are lower quality than others but that's from a design perspective. If that doesn't bother you, this book is definitely worth checking out. You can tell from brief examination that it has something of a "Children's book" vibe but older mythology enthusiasts may enjoy it too.… (mais)

This book hits a sweet spot for those folks interested in myths and legends from around the world, The focus of the first half of the book is on dragons, when the last half on other mythological creatures such as bigfoot and the loch ness serpent. The individual entries are fiarly well organized, with a large illustration that calls out notable features (breath, scales, special abilities, etc.) followed by a summary page with a very short text block; a small map locating the myth in the world; a size comparison illustration; a brief myth excerpt and finally a trivia block (Do you know). Over all, I liked the approximately 80 entries, but I did see several items that made it difficult to get it full marks ...

The illustrations were very inconsistant and generally of low quality, similar to what you might find in a toddler picture book. For something that I was have liked to be a quality coffee table book, this is a serious short coming. Unfortunately, the shorter entries make it unsuitable as sold reference book. Finally ... the general organization, I don't think this is something a person would sit down a read cover to cover ... they are more likley looking for something specific (especially after the first time through. While it dies have an index, it would have been better if the creature entries were in alphabetical order. In addition, there are some specifically named creatures that be in their own section ...

Over all, this book was interesting, but not great.

I was given this free advance reader's copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. #DragonsMythicalCreatures #NetGalley… (mais)

Dragons & Mythical Creatures by Gerrie McCall & Chris McNab is a light and fun look at many dragons and other creatures. This is marketed as a teens and young adults book but is also a fun read for any age.

Each creature is represented by a large drawing (not a photo-realistic type like the cover but attractive nonetheless) and an entry consisting of several small sections. There is a size comparison, a map to locate where it is from, a brief overview of its creation and/or mythology, and a tidbit section that is essentially miscellaneous information. This format is part of what makes this ideal for young readers, not too deep but plenty to interest them. While there is no bibliography or suggestions for further reading, the entries offer enough keywords that it will be easy to find more information for any youngster, or adult, that wants to learn more.

The creatures that come from mythology, regardless of location, offer an ambiguous telling of their stories. Mythology can be a dark topic full of rape and childish Gods, but that is omitted here to keep it appropriate for young readers. If you know your mythologies you'll know that there is more than one story that includes unsavory acts as part of the myth. These can be teaching moments or they can be reasons for censorship, depending on the ability of a parent to teach or to shelter.

I would recommend this for young readers who like dragons and other fantasy or mythological creatures. I also think that fans of fantasy will like having this in their library. It won't replace any in-depth books about specific fantasy realms, but it will offer a fun overview of multiple realms.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (mais)

This is a fun read. Another book fair find.

An excellent reference for monsters from mythology, folklore, literature, the movies, and modern times. Each entry includes a full color image with specifics on the creatures, the history of the beast, known locations, and other random facts. Great information on dragons, monsters, devils, goblins, and even aliens.

The one downside I found, considering this is a book meant for students, is the section on "Movie Monsters." The majority of creatures listed in this section have their origins in literature and folklore. The only two actual movie monsters being Godzilla and King Kong. While the entries do give credit to the original literary sources, some readers might not pay enough attention and look for the original source material.

Other than that tiny issue, a fine resource for any young reader interested in fantastical creatures.… (mais)