The Big Book of Monsters - by Hal Johnson (Hardcover)

About the Book

Literature is extra fun when it's spooky! This illustrated compendium of 25 of the spookiest and most nefarious monsters from classic literature--from Dracula to the Jabberwocky--includes a playful retelling of each monster's story accompanied by full-color illustration and sidebars about its literary origins, including authorship and genre. For ages 8-12.

Book Synopsis

Meet the monsters in this who's who of the baddest of the bad!

Like those supernatural beasts everyone knows and fears--the bloodsucking vampire, Count Dracula, and that eight-foot-tall mash-up of corpses, Frankenstein's Monster. Or that scariest of mummies, Cheops, who scientists revived after 4,700 years--big mistake! Or more horrifying yet, the Horla, an invisible, havoc-wreaking creature that herds humans like cattle and feeds of their souls.

Drawn from the pages of classic books and tales as old as time, this frightfully exciting collection features 25 of the creepiest creatures ever imagined, from witches and werewolves to dragons and ghosts. Every monster is brought to life in a full-size full-color portrait that captures the essence of the beast, and in lively text that recounts the monster's spine-tingling story. With sidebars that explore the history and the genre of each sourcebook, The Big Book of Monsters is an exciting introduction to literature and language arts.

Review Quotes

"A thrilling gallery of boojums from the pages, scrolls, and clay tablets of literary classics...Readers on the lookout for something wicked this way coming will be terrified, grossed out, delighted." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Johnson offers entertaining insights into each monster's origin story, while suggesting that great literature creates characters that can truly take on lives of their own--and what's scarier (and cooler) than that?" --Publishers Weekly

"Readers prepared for a big scare with a side order of literary history will love this collection...Johnson's casual descriptions of horrifying tales will delight middle grade readers while he successfully lures them to grander-scheme ideas. A must-have for middle school libraries and those whose readers seek out the creepy and the scary." --School Library Journal, starred review

"Perfect for Halloween and beyond, this is a ready-made syllabus for an engaging literature course that will have readers shrieking--with delight!" --Booklist, starred review

"[This book] will leave you jumping at the sound of a cricket or the tapping of a tree branch." --TIME for Kids