The Essential Worldwide Monster Guide

by Linda Ashman, David Small (Illustrator)

"Dear Traveler: "Say you're sailing in the south,

Or hiking in the east.

Your holiday's delightful --

Till you meet a pesky beast.

What now?

Should you ignore it?

Offer presents?

Run and hide?

Don't make a costly blunder --

Take our handy monster guide!

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Linda Ashman is the author of more than 40 picture books and The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books . Her books have been included on the "best of the year" lists of the New York Times, IRA/CBC Children's Choices, the New York Public Library and others, and have been translated into many languages. Linda lives with her family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Reviews

[J. Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I can't say that this really is an essential guide to monsters worldwide, it's a fine picture book definitely worthy of your attention. Linda Ashman provides a nice enough introduction to different monsters from around the world, each one with its own clever rhyme and lovely illustration by the award-winning David Small, but it's a rather slight guide with only thirteen entries. Personally, the fantastic watercolor artwork is alone worth the price of admission but the rhymes are also fun and amusing enough for repeat readings. A good read.

[Emily Hoover · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Essential Worldwide Monster Guide by Linda Ashman but it was not my favorite. This book consists of a poetic rhyme scheme that takes the reader through the travels of the world and time. Each travel destination has its own unique story, illustrations, and myth about a particular creature. These creatures include the Loch Ness Monster, Sasquatch, and trolls. This book is a good way for children to learn about these myths and they can imagine what these creatures would be like if they were real. The book looks very dark and scary judging by the front cover but once opened, the pages are light and colorful which can create confusion for students.
My only problem with the book is that it doesn't have a smooth flow. The book transitions from story to myth and back to story but they don't all relate. The illustrations are unique but they are also distracting from the overall story. As individual stories, the book would be great. I do like how the myths of the monsters are told as facts because it makes the creatures feel real. I also can appreciate the diverse context of cultures because it opened my eyes to different myths from different cultures that I was previously unaware of.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the plus side, the book has charming illustrations and features a good mix of monsters, including a decent number that are probably unfamiliar to the average North American child. But I thought the poems were of inconsistent quality and generally too short and uninformative. Most of the time the bulk of the writing on the page tells you almost nothing about the featured monster, and instead you have to content yourself with an illustration (often more whimsical and evocative than strictly informative) an a single sentence describing the creature and its habits. It definitely isn't essential, and ends up not being much of a guide either. I suppose this is kind of a harsh rating, but I felt quite let down by this book, especially since my first impression was that it seemed quite promising.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picture book travel guide to mythical monsters of the world. Includes a few well known favorites like Loch Ness monster, Sasquatch and trolls, along with beasts like Tengu, Abatwa and Mimi.

[Brandi S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been a big fan of poetry, but perhaps I would have a much different perspective if I had been introduced to poetry with such a humorous book. I truly enjoyed reading these poems about the silly monsters that live around the world. I particularly loved the Domovik that live behind stoves in Russian homes! Very funny poetry book - It would be a great tool to encourage students to read more poetry in their free time.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won't be reading this to my class -- little Finch is far too sensitive and would be frightened. The older ones would think it's very cool. I did enjoy reading it -- was introduced to a lot of new monsters I'd never heard of. I liked most of the rhymes -- fluid and fun, and most of them were easy enough for young kids to get.

My one complaint: that bigfoot sure looks a lot more like a yeti. I was just expecting the bigfoot I've grown up knowing, as a native of the pacific northwest!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of poems about monsters; the poems are good, but the premise of the book (each is based on folklore about a monster from some part of the world)and David Small's illustrations make it a 5 star book. We all loved it!

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad I didn't read this to my kids when they were any younger--it freaked them out a little, which I wasn't expecting (all of the monsters are based on actual legends and myths). Still, we all all found it to be entertaining.

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son is really enjoying this collection of poems advising young travelers about how to deal with various monsters from myth and legend.