Early Book Review: Cryptid Creatures: A Field Guide by Kelly Milner Halls, Rick Spears

Cryptid Creatures: A Field Guide, written by Kelly Milner Halls and illustrated by Rick Spears, is currently scheduled for release on September 24 2019. Cryptozoology is the study of mysterious creatures that fall between the realm of real and imaginary on the scientific spectrum. Cryptid Creatures: A Field Guide offers a closer look at fifty of these amazing creatures, examining the best possible evidence for each, including scientific papers, magazine and newspaper articles, and credible eyewitness accounts. These fifty cryptids are arranged in order alphabetically, and in addition to speculative illustrations, include details like when they were first reported, whether they are terrestrial, aerial, or aquatic, and each have a reality rating of 1 to 6, in which 1 means that the cryptid has been confirmed as a hoax, and 6 means the cryptid has been proven as real. This guide might inspire curious readers to investigate more on their own, and maybe even help to prove if a cryptid is a hoax or is real.

Cryptid Creatures: A Field Guide is a book that I think will be in my house hold as soon as it is released in print, as my children and I love this sort of thing. This book takes a look at some common (and some less known)  creatures of legend and lore. I like that fossil evidence, eye witness accounts, and scientific research is used to really look at whether these cryptid creatures could be real, or could have been in the past. I also like that the probability of these creatures existing is looked at logically to try to understand obstacles and dangers they would face, or could cause, in the areas they are expected to live. I also like how towards the end of the book the creatures are listed again, but by creature types rather than in alphabetical order. It is interesting to see how common some cryptid types are across cultures, while others are very specific to a particular region. The endpages with additional reading will help readers further explore the subject, and information on the creatures that interest them most.  I think this is a well done collection, and it will please many interested readers from a variety of ages and reading levels. 

Cryptid Creatures: A Field Guide is an interesting and well researched look at fifty creatures in cryptozoology. While this only touches the surface of such creatures and legends, it is a great resource and read for those interested.