I am particularly fond of monsters and mythical creatures, so I obviously had lots of fun reading this. This book takes the reader through an educational journey concerning monsters and how they've been written and read about for many many years. One of the coolest parts about this book is that it includes monsters from all kinds of different folklore from all around the world. Each monster is given a description with a tip on how to avoid or survive any encounters with said monster. I especially loved the illustrations in this book. Each monster is illustrated with rough, colorful lines that almost have a sloppy quality to it. This increased the disturbing effect of each monsters dangerous qualities. On the surface, this seems like a book meant to frighten, but I believe this book has the ability to encourage kids on how to cope with their fears in a healthy way. It reinforces an idea that says it's ok to be scared of the unknown, which can be a powerful message for kids who are just told by adults to get over it and that "monsters aren't real." Although monsters don't play a big part in our physical lives, they very much exist within our heads and dreams. My only complaint on this book is that I would have liked to see a monster or mythical creature portrayed as good. Appearances can be deceiving, and just because something looks unfamiliar or scary, doesn't mean it's necessarily bad. ( )

Z LOVED this. Read it to himself a few times and we switched off reading it together out loud. The outsider art type of illustrations are just phenomenal and the overview of monsters across various folk traditions is wide-ranging and eclectic. Z's inspired to place countries of origin on a world map - something that would have been a helpful addition to the book, actually. Caveat for sensitive or youngers: some of the monsters are pretty damn horrific in terms of eating kids, etc. ( )

"The Gruesome Guide to World Monsters" by Judy Sierra is a hilarious, entertaining, and interesting book about different monsters from around the world. It is set up like a non-fiction book which makes it believable and fun for children. The illustrations by Henrick Drescher are very captivating. ( )

It's hard to say what I like best about this book: that fun little green monster on the cover, the description of "zombi," or Sierra's very cool gruesomeness rating scale. All the monsters are straight out of folklore, and she speaks of them as though they are all a real potential threat. I would have *loved* this when I was a kid. (I *love* it now!) ( )