ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

An interesting blend of history and fantasy. A young boy in medieval times does his chores, while riddling away stories of mythical creatures read about in a book. His imagination comes to life on the page in illustrations that echo the style of bestiaries from hundreds of years ago, bright but with a bit of antiquity. As fantasy converges with reality, the story ends and the author then explains how years ago, before things like the internet, it was easy to believe tales of strange animals. Which would you believe exists, if described only by word of mouth: a narwal, a rhinoceros or a unicorn?

I liked the way this book ties history with fiction. The idea feels very original to me as a sort of meta examination of history, mythology and the limits of the imagination.

This was such a weird but interesting book, I think that part of my issue was that my Kindle copy split up the pages and they were out of order because of it. I moved to my computer to view it in Digital Editions and everything was much better.


This book was about a boy that needed to get his chores done but he normally gets distracted. Today however he has picked up a book and when he reads a beasties name it appears and just so happens to help him out which the things he has forgotten to do. The story itself is adorable and a lot of fun, I think both parents ans children will really enjoy it.


However, I think what makes this so much better is the fact that is it also a learning tool that talks about illuminated manuscripts and the beasts that were often found as images in them. For an art nerd like me this is huge, but where I had issues in this book was also this aspect. It is a little hard to tell which age-group this book really is for. It tells this amazing kids story but then gets very technical in the end with all the historical information.


I think because this book looks like it is for an older audience and because of the historical information bit this might sell best for an older crowd but it is delightful and if you are looking for educational and beautifully illustrated, this is a great addition to your library.

Review will go live closer to release date.

I received this as a Kindle version through NetGalley and I don't think the digital version did it justice at all. I loved the idea of the story and I think the images are wonderfully bright and fitting to the story... to the extent I could follow the story.

The digital version split image screens and seemed to either miss pages of the story or present them out of order. I did get the gist: Godfrey is a young peasant boy directed by his mother to get his chores done rather than dwadle and forget what he is doing. He finds a wonderful bestiary (medieval book of mythical beasts) in the barn and a wizard helps the animals to come alive. Although each creature creates a new mess, they inadvertently help complete the chores.

I can only hope that the hardback book presents the vignettes in better order. I shared the Kindle version with my bright, six year old granddaughter. She also liked the images and was able to read along on the shorter story descriptions. She wasn't interested in the long descriptive explanations.
If you are interested in these mythical creatures I would suggest looking at the hardback. The illustrations deserve at least a 4.0 and I give the story a 3.0, so I settled for a 3.5 rating overall.

A young boy with a vivid imagination gets distracted from his chores when he finds a magical book of beasts. While he fights lions, unicorns and dragons he somehow manages to complete his chores. An adventurous story sure to entertain young children while introducing them to medieval times and mythical creatures. The bestiary is sure to be read and re-read by animal loving children.

A whimsical flight of fancy, Don't Let the Beasties Escape this Book provides the reader with a thrilling story. As young Godfrey, a castle servant, goes about his chores, he conjures up a fantastic tale in his imagination, using an unfinished picture book as his guide. Young readers will be thrilled to see what Godfrey doesn't, as the creatures come alive and leap out of the book's pages. This is a fun, interactive tale of imagination and life in the middle ages. It would most appeal to readers in grades kindergarten through second grade, and would be a popular addition to any elementary library collection.

Don't Let the Beasties Escape This Book!, by Julie Berry tells the story of a young farmer boy with a list of chores to take care of. Before he gets to work he comes across a beastiary: a book that defines magical creatures and contains them until their name is spoken, then *pop* out they come!

Berry includes great background for the setting of the book. This creates a a solid foundation for young readers who are new to the time period! The story is told in an interesting style as it is divided up into sections that begin with: " In which... " . In this style a new creature pops up and Godfrey tries to get work done but the story appears disconnected. The style makes the story read like a list: first this happens, then this happened and now this.

Ultimately I found that illustrations were the highlight of the book along with the educational factor at the beginning. Really would have appreciated if the character was shown actively trying to fix the situation but instead creatures just keep popping out! I rate this book a 3 on the princess scale

This was a fun children's book which takes its inspiration from the fantastical creatures people believed existed back in the dark ages and earlier: unicorns, basilisks, griffins and the like, and pretends they really do exist in mischievous (but harmless!) forms that can come out and really disrupt your daily chores if you're not careful. They might even help in a purely accidental way! The drawings are amazing and detailed, and the colors wonderful. The book was a delight. I commend it as a worthy read for children - and even adults too. Why not?

The illustrations in this book are so detailed and stunning; they draw the reader in. This is a magical picture book that will entertain and delight for hours as readers will long to enter into this mythological world.

An imaginative young boy admires the pictures in a book of beasts, creating a story about a brave knight but fails to notice the animals come out of the book and help him with his chores!

I received an electronic ARC from Getty Publications through NetGalley.
The illustrations are spectacular and bring the beasts to life in vivid colors.
The basic plotline involves a young peasant boy told to do his chores. Instead he finds the Book of Beasts being created for the Lady of the Castle. He uses his imagination to create a story of himself as a knight defeating beasts. The wizard brings the beasts to life and they complete the chores while being woven in Godfrey's tale. At the end, his mom returns, the wizard returns the animals to the book, and Godfrey gets the credit for the chores being done.
Don't miss the explanatory text at the end. Berry explores life in a medieval castle and includes information on the various beasts. She also explains why it was hard to determine fact from fiction when describing animals at that time.
The story feels disjointed - simply some vignettes to handle the chores to be done. Some of the pieces feel forced while making the animals solve the problems.
2.5 rating though the artwork alone would bring it to a 4 star rating.

This is a great story of Godfrey whom uses his imagination to get his chores done. There is high-level vocabulary for students to challenge themselves and be challenged in the classroom setting. The story was easy to follow and the pictures were vivid.

A highly imaginative fantasy picture book where all the mythical beasties come to life! There wasn't much of a plot but it was still a fun read. The art work by April Lewis was fantastic, bright colors, lots of detail. Godfrey can't read his book because he has chores to do, when, lo and behold, the beasties start doing his chores for him. I wish the beasties could have stuck around longer
. Good explanations at the end of the book, explaining the different creatures. Loved the lion protecting the kittens. This book would work as supplemental reading for perhaps ages seven and up.

Don’t Let the Beasties Escape This Book by Julie Berry started out with promise. The elements introduced had me expecting a more exciting story. They include a boy with a daunting number of daily chores, an enigmatic bestiary artist with knowledge of the exotic creatures within, and the ability to call upon the beasts by speaking their names. Though it starts out strongly with solid text, the remainder of the story is captured in the images. The strong initial impression seemed to trickle away with each page. There was little, if any, character growth and the story lacked interaction between the characters. The balance between text and dialogue felt off-kilter and strained.

The book is beautifully illustrated by April Lee. The spreads are gorgeous and colorful, bright and engaging. Seeing each new beast appear among the already summoned creatures was entertaining.

After the story is a wealth of informative end matter. A note to the reader reveals why people in medieval times might have truly believed in creatures like unicorns, dragons, and other beasts. Extra information after the story explains bestiaries and the history surrounding them. Another section describes life in an English castle during the Middle Ages. Last but definitely not least is a collection of images and lore from actual surviving medieval bestiaries around the world.
3.5 stars, rounded up for the extra educational materials at the end of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Getty Publications for the opportunity to read this book. My review is honest and unbiased. #NetGalley #DontLetTheBeastiesEscapeThisBook

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Well, the idea was cute but the execution was not. The illustrations were delightful!! But the Kindle ARC was terribly, awfully formatted. The book wasn't in order, there were 4 frames on each page, it was a mess. I tried to get beyond it to the story itself. It was basically just a catalog of magical creatures. The dragon was my favorite illustration though.

The J. Paul Getty Museum has published a bestiary guaranteed to enthrall both parents and their children. Julie Berry’s tale of a forgetful but imaginative boy named Godfrey is only so-so, but the medieval annotations are very interesting. And the illustrations by April Lee? So beautiful that I could not stop looking at them. Definitely recommended.

The artwork is outstanding!! I would have liked even more of the pictures! The story line needs more detailed work! I received this book from NetGalley and this is my voluntary opinion.

I wrote the review on Goodreads under Jeannie Huie.

A gorgeous book on medieval manuscript artwork by the Getty Museum. The book drew its inspiration from the museum's exhibit "Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World" and features illustrations from their collections.

The main story is sure to delight young children. The story is fun and fresh, and the artwork is beautiful&#8212;detailed, colorful, and mimics medieval scribal techniques. For older children, the book has a section on medieval life in a castle and the medieval bestiary with actual illustrations of beasts and explanations as to their meaning. As a fan of children's picture books and an amateur student of medieval manuscripts, this was a book after my own heart.

The whimsical story follows an ordinary peasant boy dreaming of life as a valiant knight in the Late Middle Ages (thirteenth century): Sir Godfrey the Gallant, Sir Godfrey the Glorious, Sir Godfrey the Goodhearted. His favorite book is about medieval bestiaries but filled only with pictures. He is hoping that when the castle scribe ultimately finishes the book, it will tell a heroic tale of a bold, brave knight. As he goes about his chores, his imagination takes flight, and the mischievous animals walk out of the pages of the book, causing him to flex his knightly skills. Some of the beasts help him with his chores and interact with the regular farm animals.

This review will be posted on Cogitations & Meditations at the end of May.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley!!

Let me start this by saying i adored the illustrations in this book! This children's book contains information about life in the medieval ages.

Setting out on his daily chores, Godfrey becomes distracted by a bestiary full of fantastical creatures who, when accidentally released from the page, help the young boy unwittingly accomplish his tasks while his imagination runs wild. A humorous and informative introduction to medieval illuminated manuscripts, not to mention the beasts -- and chores -- of the Middle Ages.

Goodreads Rating: 2 stars

A companion book to Book of Beasts for kids. It has some pretty illustrations in it, but I think they tell the story better than the words do. It just wasn't engaging, but it did introduce a few beasties and the information at the end of the book elaborates the historical aspects of the story and what a bestiary is.

Godfrey is tasked with completing some chores around the castle grounds, but he picks up the work-in-progress bestiary from the scribe's bench and starts making up a story interweaving all the creatures so far illustrated. Whenever he speaks the name of one of the creatures, they pop off the page and help him accomplish his chores.

While I'm sure he was just caught up in narrating his story, I still thought it was too naive of Godfrey to not to notice the beasts coming to life around him. It also doesn't encourage the best message, suggesting you should ignore your chores and they'll just magically get done.

The illustrations were vividly done and while I didn't exactly like some of them (the griffin looked too much like a phoenix), the overall palette and layout was better storytelling than the story itself.

A good book for reading in class and using as a jumping off point for discussions about creatures, but as a story on its own, it just simply wasn't engaging.