Cover Image: Don't Let the Beasties Escape This Book!

Don't Let the Beasties Escape This Book!

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Member Reviews

I did not finish this book and was hoping for more.

I just couldn’t get into the story at all. I was hoping for it to get better but eventually stop after a few more chapter.

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Godfrey is sent to do his chores but he gets sidetracked by a BOOK! (Yes, a book!). It's about medieval times - and conjures up all sorts of beasts (none are really evil!). Delightful reading - but might be a bit tough for a very young reader.
And the underlying premise - books are chock full of wonderful escapes!

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I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The pictures are very bright and detailed. I liked those a lot. The story was a little lax. Not sure that younger kids will enjoy it.

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I think I'm being followed....

Godfrey, a peasant boy, finds a book about beasts while doing his chores. As he reads, he imagines himself defeating the mythological creatures, who unknown to him, come to life and inadvertently help with his chores.

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Beautiful illustrations and full of information! A great addition if you love to learn about Beasties!

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Books about books are always wonderful and Julie Berry's little gem is no exception. Don't Let the Beasties Escape this Book is a cute little story led by a boy, a book full of beasts, and some magic (ie: imagination). I love how there are so many different beasts shown here (including a dragon and unicorn!) and immediately wanted a book that conjured up a unicorn for me to play with! (lol)
The illustrations and parchment-like background of each page really fit in nicely with our setting of the medieval ages. There are pieces here that may help a child understand what it is was like to live in the Middle Ages.
Overall this is an adorable book that I would definitely purchase for a child of any age. It may be a tough lengthy for a bedtime story; but certainly isn't as complex (or annoying) as Dr. Seuss can be. Don't Let the Beasties Escape This Book is an excellent addition to any child's bookshelf (and it may even reach my own print shelf).

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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I love mythology, and the fantastic beasts, gods and demons, the demi-gods, and of course the humans who are portrayed in mythical stories. I also enjoy reading about the medieval period, about life and its travails and its beauty at that time vs ours. And when a book blends all of this effortlessly and with gorgeous illustrations too, well, that is like found treasure. Julie Berry’s ‘Don’t Let the Beasties Escape This Book!‘ is one such book.

This book is a Getty publication and the Getty museum is a recent discovery of ours (well, more than a year now). We loved exploring every nook and cranny of the museum (maybe not) and wondered why we had not visited it on one of our many earlier trips to Los Angeles when we finally did spend time there in Dec 2018.

My Thoughts:
In this book, the reader meets Godfrey, a young boy who is sent by his mother to complete a list of chores with an admonition not to forget them this time! But of course, he gets distracted by a bestiary(an illustrated book of beasts) he finds, and his imagination takes him on adventures. He is completely unaware that the book is magical and that he is releasing the beasts from the book when he says their name out loud, and also oblivious to the fact that he is actually getting his chores completed with their help!

Each and every page of this book is a visual treat and totally frame-worthy! The illustrations are stunningly vibrant, detailed and so full of action, while lending to the story effortlessly. The magnificent and mythical (as well as real) beasts portrayed here seem to pop out of the pages.

This book was based on/inspired by an exhibition at the Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles titled Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World.

This book is a worthy addition to any library – in print, definitely – even if just to look at and admire the glorious and detailed illustrations. And of course, the story is a fun read too. The commentaries at the end of the book are a big plus as an introduction to medieval life, to bestiaries and more.

Side-notes
While the story’s text itself makes itself ideal for reading to young readers (might be difficult for younger readers to read it all on their own), the informative commentaries at the end are better served for older elementary and middle-grade readers. And of course, adults will love it.

Conclusion
If you did not already realize I was going to say so, go get this book – for yourself and as a gift!

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley for the digital review copy of the featured book. These thoughts are my honest opinions of the book.

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Godfrey, is a young boy who “borrows” a book about beasts from a scribe and spends the rest of the day making up tales about a knight, aptly named Godfrey, Godfrey the Gallant, the Glorious, the Goodhearted, who meets the beasties from the pages! As he mentions each beast, it comes to life, but Godfrey doesn't notice. The story doesn't flow smoothly, but it works to introduce various creatures.

I read this to my granddaughter, but it didn't work. She is too young for it, but she did like "the monsters" and wanted to talk about the illustrations. On the other hand, my grandson loved it. The illustrations were amazing, full of detail and colour. He asked all kinds of questions and we shared the information in the end pages about medieval life and mythical creatures. He enjoyed the story and thought Geoffrey was funny when he didn't notice the creatures that kept appearing. I always enjoy a book that has some subtle humour that I will enjoy and this one has some of that. This is a great book to share with young people who enjoy history, magic & fantasy, as well as mythical beings. I definitely recommend this one to schools and public libraries.

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In this tale about a medieval bestiary, Godfrey is supposed to be doing the list of chores his mother has given him, but he's much more interested in the illuminated bestiary being created for the lady of the castle. As the wizard-ish artist looks on, Godfrey tells the farmyard animals the tale of Sir Godfrey encountering some of the beasts from the book, not realizing they are appearing as he names them- soon a lion, a unicorn, a griffin, a bonnacon, and a dragon have joined in the fun, managing to help with the chores while an oblivious Godfrey continues his story. Once the last chore is done, the artist manages to get the book back, and puts the beasts back where they belong. The book is appended by a note to the reader explaining how it was that people believed these stories, an explanation of how books were made and what life was like in a medieval castle, and examples of illustrations from real medieval bestiaries.
I enjoyed the story and notes at the end, but it's the artwork that really shines in this book. The illustrations are bright and richly colored, with lots of detail and charm. There's lots to interest young readers in this fun book!

#DontLetTheBeastiesEscapeThisBook #NetGalley

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My son was only half into this. He liked parts and was bored during the rest. I guess this just wasn’t for him. It might be for another little one though!

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Funny book with lovely pictures, and a very nice information section at the end. Perfect for reading together with a child who recently learned, or out loud to one who doesn't read just yet.

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The following review was written by my 7yo:

1: What was the book title?

Don't Let the Beasties Escape This Book!

2: What was the book about?

A little boy -called Godfrey- who was told to do his chores.
Unfortunately, he found the book of monsters, and then lots of beasts appeared when he said their names.
It did NOT help him do his chores.

3: Did you like the story? Why/Why not?

Yes, I liked the words, and the character Godfrey, but I didn't like the way the pictures were drawn.

4: What was the best bit about the story?

All of it.

5: What was the worst bit about the story?

None.

6: Would you recommend the book? Why/why not?
Yes and 3 year old's +.

7: How many stars would you give this book out of 5? 5

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Set in medieval times, Godfrey, a young peasant boy, is tasked with household chores, but cautioned firstly not to daydream and not secondly to disturb a visiting artist who is working on an illuminated bestiary. Godfrey, of course, discovers the book, and as he goes about his chores imagines himself battling ferocious, mythical beasts and from Lions to Dragons and others in between.

Beautifully illustrated, Don't Let the Beasties Escape This Book is a delightful read, showing the power of a child's imagination in getting things done.

I liked the inclusion, after the story, of excerpts from actual Bestiaries, and the encouragement for children to imagine themselves in the 13th century, not knowing about all of the weird and wonderful animals we take for granted in the 21st century.

The kindle version didn't do the book justice, splitting pages and breaking the flow of the text and images. It looked far nicer through Digital Editions on my desktop (and I'm sure will be nicer again in print).

**I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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The illustrations are vivid and reminiscent of illustrated medieval texts. While the story is fairly simple, it's a fun imaginative jaunt with fantasy creatures, and the end pages provide a bit of historical context that adds some depth to the book overall.

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This picture book is very fun. Godfrey, a young man doing his chores in medieval times, imagines up creatures such as griffins, unicorns, and dragons. This would be a great picture book to read to kids to remind them of the power of their imaginations, and how books can help their imaginations to grow. Very fun!

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This is a hard book to put an age on. It is a picture book - the illustrations by April Lee are wonderful! I think they are some of the best I've seen in a long time.

The story is simple enough for a small child to hear read to him and understand. The illustrations give it all a sense of wonder an humor.

The last part of the book contains a note (by two other authors) to the reader followed by "The Bestiary." This part of the book is certainly for older children with information about life in the medieval times.

I thought it was a delightful story, but I confess that I have a hard time deciding which child it should be given to given the dual nature of the writing.

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I read this book to my children as a bedtime story.
They loved it. My daughter said it was "Amazing" and my son said "I'm so glad they didn't kill the dragon!"

The illustrations were the best part of this book for me - so bright and detailed. The story was cute and a great length for bedtime story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing us the chance to experience this book.

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What an absolutely beautiful picture book. Godfrey, a young peasant boy in Medival England, happens to glimpse a Beastiery as he's going about his chores. He entertains himself by spinning a story about brave Sir Godfrey and the beasts he encounters, unaware that every time he says an animal's name it appears from the book! Chaos ensues as Godfrey tries to get his chores done and more importantly - hide the beasts from his mother!

I love the art style in this book - lots of picture books are stylised, but this is very realistic, even though it's dealing with some fantastical topics. Godfrey is good natured and I enjoyed following the story. Kids will love pointing out all the choas he's oblivious to as he goes about his day. A great read.

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A richly illustrated bestiary with a narrative twist. While the prose was disjointed and wordy for me, I can imagine other readers taking their time to wander through the illustrations.

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I loved the fantastical creatures and the gorgeous art! The story is told as if a story would have been told in the medieval ages from a child his age.

As Godfrey does his chores, he spins a tale and each time he says the creature's name, they are able to leave the book. As a fluke the mayhem they cause also helps Godfrey do his chores, but he doesn't notice until the end of the day, and back in the book they go for the day.

Thank you to Netgalley for the Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.
#DontLetTheBeastiesEscapeThisBook #NetGalley

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Soooo good! I love everything about this book. The story is very original and the illustrations were wonderful. A forgetful farm boy is sent by his mother to do chores, but of course he gets distracted and "borrows" the wizards story book. The story releases the many mythical creatures who help the farm boy accomplish his tasks, while he remains totally oblivious to them. I think children of all ages will enjoy this tale! It's going to find a home on my shelves!

I found a copy of this book at my local library as I couldn't download it to my Kindle.

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