Early Book Review: Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters & Mythos from Around the World by Rachel Quinney

Cryptids, Creatures & Critters: A Manual of Monsters & Mythos from Around the World by Rachel Quinney is currently scheduled for release on June 18 2024. While written by Rachel Quinney and mainly illustrated by her, there are twelve guest artists featured within the book, too.

Cryptids, Creatures & Critters features 90 different creatures from around the world, each with their own researched description and full-color illustrations. The book is divided into three sections: cryptids, folklore, and mythology. It features popular cryptid favorites, such as Mothman and the Flatwoods Monster, and some lesser-known cryptids, such as the Enfield Horror and the Montauk Monster. For folklore, there are kelpies, selkies, cat sidhes, and grimalkins, along with the dobarchu and the vampiric pumpkin! In mythology, you'll find Medusa, sphinx, Pegasus, and the bukavac!

Cryptids, Creatures & Critters is a book that offers readers snapshots of different creatures from a variety of origins and cultures. I thought the organization of the book was well done- and I appreciated the authors attempt to root out, and call out, the ways things like racism, colonialism, and imperialism might have changed the perceptions of the featured creatures. I also liked the efforts to cross reference the entries that heavily relate to other entries and  also giving readers a warning when an entry might hold content that might be disturbing or triggering. I appreciated the awareness. Best of all, even with all of this, there is a sense of humor and fun throughout the book as well.

I found both the text and illustrations to be charming. Most of the information on the creature I knew about matched up with what I already knew, with some additional background on the legends that I never knew before. I also liked seeing some creatures covered (like the cactus cat) that I had never heard of. I thought the book was thoroughly, and conscientiously researched. It is written with respect and humor and I think a wide range of readers will enjoy it.