An Illustrated Guide To Mythical Creatures

David West Children's Books - An Illustrated Guide to...

by David West, Anita Ganeri

With stunning CGI artwork—the kind used by Hollywood’s top special-effects experts—noted illustrator David West creates a visually stunning universe, the likes of which you’ve never seen—a universe in which a Cockatrice’s glance can turn a person to stone and the trumpet of the Manticore lures unsuspecting travelers to their fateful doom!

Hold back no longer, and discover why An Illustrated Guide to Mythical Creatures is the coolest, most visually intense handbook about legendary beings you’ll ever read!

Features:

Rich text, images, and primary source imagery makes this a veritable "bible" on the subject of mythological beasts
Embossed cover and gold foil title make this a fantastic gift for the young fantasy lover

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology

48 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2009

About the author

David West is a graphic designer, illustrator and author of children's information books. He has produced over 500 titles on subjects ranging from dinosaurs and mythology to technology and science. Some of his best known titles include Brain Surgery for Beginners, 53 1/2 Things that Changed the World and Dinosaurs in My Street.

David went to art school in Kingston-upon-Thames and Harrow, where he specialised in information graphics. He lives in south west London with his wife, two sons, a cat and a goldfish who's over 14 years old.

When he's not illustrating, writing and designing he can be found fishing for salmon in Scottish rivers or painting portraits for fun.

Reviews

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

The "stunning CGI artwork" is sort of a joke, at least it looks that way now. Nevertheless this a pretty good primer for learning about mythical creatures from a variety of mythologies. A good book for tweens, and a pretty quick read.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 3D rendered pictures in this are both creepy and funny. I also did not know there were so many half horse creatures.

[Barbara Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book for a young fantasy lover in the 9 to 12 years of age group, or those still young at heart, this may be just the one to keep them interested for repeat reading. It’s a slim hardcover with 3D photos accompanied by a paragraph or two of concise descriptions of where each of the legends originated. There are the usual creatures of myth and legend combined with their modern counterparts with separate sections: Dragons, Serpents & Worms; Flying Creatures; Chimera; Half-human, half-beast; Water Beasts; Giants; Shape-Shifters; Demons, Ghouls & Ghosts and a Glossary that provides a brief explanation of terms used within the book.

Within the Shape-Shifter section there are the familiar vampires and werewolves, selkies and swan maidens, skinwalkers and wendigos of North American First Nation lore, the Japanese Kitsune: a fox-like creature with many tails, and others.

Even adults will be kept mesmerized, as I was while reading through each of the descriptions.

[Terry]

The illustrations are fascinating and have a “read more” quality about them. I loved how the book sorted the different types of creatures, allowing readers to explore a full set of "species" together.

Read our full review and add yours at Fascinating illustrations and lots of historical data will engage readers in exploring the worlds of fantasy creatures.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broad in scope of creatures covered and global cultures, this book is well-organized. The visuals include drawings, computer generated images, and pictures of artistic artifacts from around the world. Complete with glossary and index.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full Review

[Dayna Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A magnificent guide to mythical creatures from various cultures. The art work is amazing. A great way to introduce young readers to mythology.

[Kevin Hodgson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cool images and descriptions -- from mythologies all over the world (which is a nice change from the Greek/Roman axis that forms so much of our understanding of myths)