Supernatural Creatures: Mythical and Sacred Creatures from Around the World

by D.K. Publishing

Meet the magical, mystical, and miraculous! This exceptional visual guide is not for the fainthearted, bringing you up against fire-breathing dragons, shapeshifting beasts, and much, much more...

How do you create a chimera? Can you spot a kappa from a kraken? Why do banshees scream at night? And where do real dragons live? Everything you ever wanted to know and more is covered in this spectacular introduction to supernatural creatures of myth and legend from every corner of the globe. Come face to face with ferocious monsters, dangerous dragons, mountain giants, winged horses, and strange shapeshifters as cryptozoology meets fable and folklore!

This complete compendium of the supernatural features more than 100 eye-catching, jaw-dropping, otherworldly creatures in astonishing depth and detail. The book breaks new ground with its unique lens of culturally authentic and historically accurate imagery that works alongside compelling text to bring these creatures to life.

For everyone from children to adults, regardless of beliefs or background, Supernatural Creatures is a thrilling page-turner brimming with fact-filled insights and spine-chilling frights!

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, Childrens, Magic

194 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2024

About the author

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Katie Florida · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging resource to add to the library.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.

The style of this book is great, and I am pre-ordering a hard copy, do I need to say anything else?

Supernatural Creatures is a guide to the most famous (or popular) creatures of legend. It doesn’t highlight the popular aspect in the choice of what to include but that had to be a factor. The book is divided into different sections sometimes based on where the creatures is located (sea for instance) and sometimes based on what the creature does (helpful or not). Each creature gets one or, more commonly, two pages with an overview, detailing where the creature comes from and major stories associated with it. It is more of introductory compendium than a straightforward collection of folklore. It is a starting point.

To be fair, the book is not perfect, I would have loved to see more from Africa. Indigenous populations are well represented, however. The bulk of material is from the West (largely Europe but North America is included) and Asia (not just China and Japan, thankfully).

The editors do a good job with detailing the various terms that can swirl around when discussing legends. The book opens with a discussion of various story types (legend, urban legend and so on) and notes that some legends are sacred stories. This is especially important when dealing beliefs and stories that come from First Nation and Indigenous groups. Those stories are treated with respect.

The book also makes good use of various differences or branches. There is a discussion dealing with the different ways Asia and the West see dragons. There is inclusion of the Loch Ness Monster and Champ, and Meleke-mbembe. It was nice to see all three of them together.

And the format with the art! It is worth the price for the art work alone. DK always does wonderful page spreads and this is no exception. Shoot, I would be shelling out for it even if there was no text.

[Grace grace_loves_books13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating DK reference book about supernatural creatures! Gorgeous layouts and pictures on every page.

Fun to read about the origins/inspiration for several creatures seen in popular fantasy books/movies/pop culture. I enjoyed learning about new creatures for the first time, and also learning about the lore of several popular creatures (dragons, fae, etc) from around the world. I always find it fascinating that different cultures, worlds apart in time and geographically, often feature the same creatures in their lore.

Another hit from DK!

Thank you NetGalley and DK for the eARC!

[Tasha Mutter · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much information here. I like to read things like this with my kids to keep them entertained and for us all to learn something new. This was a little to complicated for my 3 and 6 year old, but I could not get enough of this. It was so interesting and there was a lot I did not know about the mythical creatures and some mythical creatures I had never even heard of. I havent finished this entirely but will be ordering a paper copy that my kids and I can try again when theyre a little older.

Thanks DK Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to review.

[Madison LibraryBookFamily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a treat to read. DK covered supernatural creatures I know and love and new ones from cultures all over the world. I loved the organization that broke the characters into gods and creatures, spirits and demons, magical beings, flesh eaters, hybrids, shapeshifters, and creatures of the sea and sky. The authentic pictures and examples were captivating. I consider myself a firm fantasy and folktale reader and I was able to discover many new creatures.
I recieved this book as a digital ARC from Netgalley. All thoughts are my own. I really did enjoy this book.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. This was a fun and interesting read. I’ve heard a many of these creatures but some were new to me. This book is a great addition for someone into myths and mythology. It makes you want to take a deep dive and learn more about the interesting creatures within the book.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Supernatural Creatures by DK in exchange for an honest review. This book has beautiful illustrations and a comprehensive list of supernatural characters. They are organized logically and described colorfully. I really enjoyed looking at this book.

[LudmilaM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and engaging. Lots of interesting facts.

[Kel Lee Liu · Rating 4 out of 5]

would like to turn it into ttrpg creatures. evocative with wide ranging art but incomplete

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review and thoughts here on the blog! https://thegrimmlibrarian.com/2025/09/16/supernatural-creatures-mythical-and-sacred-creatures-from-around-the-world-by-dk-review/