Monsters and Water Beasts: Creatures of Fact or Fiction?

by Karen Miller, Sergio Ruzzier (Illustrator)

Overview

Mythical beasts or real creatures? You decide!

Big Foot, Moth Man, the Sea Serpent of Gloucester. These are just a few of the mythical beasts uncovered in this intriguing collection of extraordinary creatures. Firsthand accounts and the opinions of scientists weave together a fascinating web of fact and legend. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, you'll find much to ponder in the lore surrounding these monsters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805097412
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	04/17/2007
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Karen Miller is a former journalist. She lives in Burnsville, North Carolina. Monsters and Water Beasts is her first book for young readers.

 

SERGIO RUZZIER is the author and illustrator of The Room of Wonders and has illustrated many more picture books. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

The cartoon illustrations have a dreamy, almost surreal quality. The earth-tone palette echoes the characters' underground world.” —SLJ on Why Mole Shouted and Other Stories, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

“The warm and immediate scenarios are perfect for the lap-sit crowd, who will also like Ruzzier's small, softly shaded line-and-watercolor pictures.” —Booklist on Why Mole Shouted and Other Stories, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

From the Publisher

Gr 3-6
This well-researched account of legendary land and sea creatures will provide satisfying new information for those already contemplating the existence of these beasts. In addition, the whimsical watercolor illustrations and engaging narrative presented in chapter-book format will pique the curiosity of anyone considering the question for the first time and will appeal to readers who don't normally gravitate toward nonfiction topics. Miller includes Bigfoot in her discussion, but it is her detailed treatment of lesser-known monsters such as the Big Bird of Texas, hoop snakes, Mothman, the Jersey Devil, the sea maiden of Biloxi, the sea serpent of Gloucester, and the cadborosaurus in British Columbia that adds to the breadth of this book. Chapters are structured with anecdotal information of firsthand encounters followed by the scientific theories that could disprove these sightings. In each instance, the author provides hope for believers with such inconclusive statements as "all we have to do is wait." Those hungry for spooky stories will find their fill with such chilling legends as that of the black snake that puts his tail in his mouth and rolls down a hill, aggressively pursuing the woodsmen who destroyed his home. And devotees of the "Can Science Solve?" series (Heinemann Library) will savor this new blend of the logical and the mysterious.
—Gloria KosterCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Suggesting that we'll find out for sure one day if we just wait, Miller presents a select few of the 2,600 recorded brushes with Bigfoot, the 2,000 reports of the Jersey Devil and encounters with seven other legend-wreathed creatures. Some, including Mothman and the Cadborosaurus, may be new even to confirmed young cryptozoologists, and the author is more or less evenhanded in her sifting of evidence. But because the book is so skimpy, and because Ruzzier plainly dashed off his fanciful painted portraits without much regard for accuracy or credibility, this trails behind Tales of the Cryptids: Mysterious Creatures That May or May Not Exist, by Kelly Milner Halls, Rick Spears and Roxyanne Young (2006). Still, the idea that there are still mysteries to be found in the natural world is well-served by the author's lucid prose and matter-of-fact tone. (Nonfiction. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews