The Barefoot Book of Monsters!
Grade 2-4-Parnell has assembled a globe-trotting array of folktale monsters, such as the Abominable Snowman from Nepal and the Feathered Ogre from Italy. The engaging stories are filled with evil creatures (some quite scary in fact) and, in many cases, the brave humans who outwit them. An Aboriginal tale from Australia, "The Monster of the Whirlwind," explains why frogs jump into the water at the slightest sound. "The Girl with No Fear" is actually rescued by a young man with no fear in a Bantu story. "Rona Long-Teeth" is a pretty scary monster who gets her own in this Tahitian legend. The folksy watercolor illustrations are bright and fun, but the placement of the smallish text on top of the art makes reading difficult. Also, the artist uses stereotyped and inaccurate images of the Micmacs' clothing and houses in "The Terrible Chenoo." The source notes are brief, but do list two or three places from which the tales came. A marginal purchase for most collections.Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library, CTCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.