I love mythology, and the fantastic beasts, gods and demons, the demi-gods, and of course the humans who are portrayed in mythical stories. I also enjoy reading about the medieval period, about life and its travails and its beauty at that time vs ours. And when a book blends all of this effortlessly and with gorgeous illustrations too, well, that is like found treasure. Julie Berry’s ‘Don’t Let the Beasties Escape This Book!‘ is one such book.

This book is a Getty publication and the Getty museum is a recent discovery of ours (well, more than a year now). We loved exploring every nook and cranny of the museum (maybe not) and wondered why we had not visited it on one of our many earlier trips to Los Angeles when we finally did spend time there in Dec 2018.

This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links . If you purchase through an affiliate link, I may get a commission at no extra cost to you. Please see the full disclosure for more information.If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my newsletter – on the sidebar, right there! Thanks for visiting!

Picture Book Review

Don’t Let the Beasties Escape This Book!

My Thoughts:

In this book, the reader meets Godfrey, a young boy who is sent by his mother to complete a list of chores with an admonition not to forget them this time! But of course, he gets distracted by a bestiary(an illustrated book of beasts) he finds, and his imagination takes him on adventures. He is completely unaware that the book is magical and that he is releasing the beasts from the book when he says their name out loud, and also oblivious to the fact that he is actually getting his chores completed with their help!

Each and every page of this book is a visual treat and totally frame-worthy! The illustrations are stunningly vibrant, detailed and so full of action, while lending to the story effortlessly. The magnificent and mythical (as well as real) beasts portrayed here seem to pop out of the pages.

This book was based on/inspired by an exhibition at the Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles titled Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World.

This book is a worthy addition to any library – in print, definitely – even if just to look at and admire the glorious and detailed illustrations. And of course, the story is a fun read too. The commentaries at the end of the book are a big plus as an introduction to medieval life, to bestiaries and more.

Side-notes

While the story’s text itself makes itself ideal for reading to young readers (might be difficult for younger readers to read it all on their own), the informative commentaries at the end are better served for older elementary and middle-grade readers. And of course, adults will love it.

Conclusion

If you did not already realize I was going to say so, go get this book – for yourself and as a gift!

Goodreads || Amazon || Book Depository || Target ||
Barnes and Noble

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley for the digital review copy of the featured book. These thoughts are my honest opinions of the book.

And Now, the End of This Post

Here are my previous posts for the month:

• Another Challenge: Blog Audit Challenge 2020
• A Very Short-Short Story: Last Long Night
• Book Review: Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
• Sunday Scribblings #21: When Sundays Tumble into Tuesdays
• Mini Reviews: Picture Books
• Life is a Circus
• How Impressions Transcend Time
• My Lit List: 3 Free Reading Websites for Kids
• The Rocking Horse Winner
• Sunday Scribblings #20: In the Year 2020, We Will
• 2020 Reading Challenges – Join the Fun!
• Resolution – a firm decision to do or not to do something
• A Resolution To Keep the Resolutions We Make
• On the First Day of the Decade, My …