Grimly's illustrations are always entertaining, but I tire of Singer's forced and awkward rhymes. Clearly she should stop trying for a perfect rhyme, since she clearly can't quite get it. ( )

Lots of rhyming fun with mythical and scary screamers. Everything from Beauty's beast to gargoyles, and sphinxes. This was a great read and Grimly’s illustrations were the icing on this literary cake. ( )

This is a book of poems written by a single author about a carnival of mythical, or at the very least very unusual creatures, from Godzilla to Pegasus, the creature come from many different cultures and are described in a quirky poem.

Marilyn Singer and Gris Grimly, the author/illustrator team responsible for Monster Museum, return in this second collection of poems devoted to the unusual and monstrous creatures of the world. Twenty-three poems introduce creepy creatures of all kinds, from the slimy Frog Prince to the biblical Behemoth and Leviathon, all on offer as part of the titular "carnival," through which a group of children are being shepherded.

An enjoyably creepy collection, Creature Carnival would make an excellent follow-up, for those readers who enjoyed this author/artist team's previous foray into this field, or for those looking for Halloween-appropriate reading. I wouldn't say the poems especially dazzled me (as mentioned in my review of Monster Museum, I prefer the work of Adam Rex, in this regard), but I did think they were lots of fun. Gris Grimly's artwork was as appealing as ever, in a suitably grim kind of way. All in all: a solid title for those looking for some gross and gruesome, in their poetry reading diet. ( )

Summary:The book of poems Creature Carnival is a collection of very unique creatures from a Kraken to a Cerberus. The style of poetry makes the poems very intriguing. One of the poems is about a sewer alligator that has turned white from being in the sewer too long. Another poem in this collection gives the reasons a dragon can not be domesticated.

Personal Reaction: I enjoyed the different themes of the poems in this book. The illustrator did a great job of combing domesticated animals and mythical creatures. One part of the book that is cool is the glossary of all the crazy creatures at the end of the book.

Classroom Extension: 1) Have each student pick a creature and decide what type of environment they would live in. This would be a good lead in to a lesson about the food chain. 2) Read a couple of the poems from the book and go straight in to teaching about the different types of poetry.