SOLVED. Children’s book about various monsters/creatures, lightly satirical. [s]

[John]

I read this book in the 80s, but it might have been from earlier.

It was a series of illustrated descriptions of various monsters/creatures. Some of them had lightly satirical descriptions that implied they were hoaxes, like one that writes its name in the sand at the beach each night, and then wipes it out with its tail before morning so no one ever sees it.

There was also a cow (I think) with legs longer on one side of its body than the other, so it could only live on slopes, and could never turn around.

[Becca]

A beast, often a goat, with legs longer on one side is a 'fearsome critter' of American folklore called a sidehill gouger. They appear in a few books, e.g. Fearsome Creatures Of The Lumberwoods: With A Few Desert And Mountain Beasts by William T. Cox and Fearsome Critters by Henry H. Tyson.

If it's neither of those we can keep looking!

[John]

“Fearsome critters” was the phase I needed to find it. Thank you!

Kickle Snifters and Other Fearsome Critters by Alvin Schwartz
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...

[Becca]

John wrote: "“Fearsome critters” was the phase I needed to find it. Thank you!

Kickle Snifters and Other Fearsome Critters by Alvin Schwartz
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7..."

Glad you found it!