Beasts of the Ancient World: A Kids’ Guide to Mythical Creatures, from the Sphinx to the Minotaur, Dragons to Baku

by Marchella Ward

Uncover tales of ancient beasts, in this beautiful anthology of mythologies

This book introduces children to the thrilling mythological beasts from ancient civilizations. Discover 23 stories accompanied by beautiful, colorful illustrations. Through the incredible storytelling you can learn about fantastic creatures such as the Japanese Baku, which had the power to devour nightmares, the wise Sphinx, and the fearsome Minotaur who went head-to-head with Theseus in Greek mythology. Featured pages highlight amazing real-life photos of objects, showing how each beast was represented in art.

A perfect, global introduction to the most fascinating stories about legendary creatures from ancient history.

Genres: Childrens, Mythology, Nonfiction

144 pages, Hardcover

Published October 3, 2023

Reviews

[Raechel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of tales and myths from around the world about the beasts that fill it. I enjoyed the takes mixed with informational pages to help inform and entertain. The illustrations are well-done, yet simplified.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great addition to any beast-loving kid. Great stories and illustrations and the artifact photos are wonderful.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book if you are into mythical creatures.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book on beasts/creatures in mythology. It’s not tied to one mythology but more world wide. It would be a fun book to read one new story every day.

[RumBelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book chronicled mythical beasts from cultures all over the world. However, the book was not structured like I thought it would be. Instead of each beast having it's own description on one page, or a couple of pages, the book was constructed as series of short stories, telling the myths of these beasts. In addition were small subsections with titles like Half Human Beasts, and Beasts We Love, where five or six creatures were described in short paragraphs.

The illustrations were a mix of drawn/painted images of the beasts, images depicting the plot points in the stories, and photos of actual artifacts depicting the beasts. The colors were vibrant, and the illustrations filled with action. They really brought the stories to life.

Many different cultures were discussed, from India, to Native American cultures, to the Maya. It was an around the world journey, perfect for fans of myths, history and travel.