From Publishers Weekly
Hunt (Illuminations) revisits the Middle Ages in this alphabetical roundup of fearsome imaginary creatures gleaned from traditions around the globe. The always ravenous catoblepas (Ethiopia) "would often gnaw its own forelegs in frustration" and "could kill with a single look"; the javelin snake (Europe) hid in trees and "hurled itself downward like a spear" onto passersby below; etc. Hunt casts even usually benign creatures in a shadowy light: the Black Dog of Ireland and Scotland had dreadful powers ("Those who heard its footfalls or gazed into its eyes were struck dumb with fear and soon withered away and died") and two species of unicorns, from Persian lore, include one "foul-tempered," the other "a vicious carnivore." Despite the title, there's little of the "illuminated" look to the illustrations; they're mostly dramatic pictures with numerous bared fangs and chilling, beady eyes. Of particular interest and appeal, a final spread uses Hunt's elegant decorated capitals as a striking border around an equally striking note positing theories about the roles served by mythical monsters. All ages.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-This eye-catching picture book is for readers old enough to have acquired a sense of time past and who can appreciate the power that myth and legend can exert on the human imagination. It is, like Hunt's Illuminations (S & S, 1989), a reflection of the ideas and world view of the medieval centuries, a time when the Earth seemed full of mysterious beasts and travelers wrote tales of fantastic adventures. The author's extensive research into the history of bestiaries (as evidenced by his appended note and the lengthy bibliography) has yielded 26 brightly colored, action-filled illustrations of wondrous, and mostly fearsome, creatures. Familiar legendary beasts such as the griffin, phoenix, and sphinx share the pages with the ichneumon, ozaena, ziphius, and other curiosities. A pronunciation guide on the first page helps readers with the names, and a brief paragraph under each neatly framed picture explains the powers and peculiar habits of the storied creatures. A decorative map on the endpapers shows the known world of the Middle Ages and the location of each reported marvel. Fun to read because of the fabulous creatures and the accounts of their often-bizarre appetites and reported ferocity, this book offers an engaging pictorial supplement to studies of the Middle Ages or units on legends and myths.
Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
