I was intrigued by the title and cover art. However the story was only so so. A boy is doing his chores and unbeknownst to him the animals of the book come to life and help out. Better for older kids.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Mom: I was very interested in this book, just by the look of the cover. The illustrations and artwork within were great! Overall, I found the story cute. Most of the books story is narrated by the main character, Godfrey, telling his own story about the beasties – mythical creatures – in the book he “borrowed.” This was generally fine, but there were also parts spoken by other characters without attribution – it took either of us a minute to realize what was being said and realizing it was actually Godfrey’s mother speaking, etc.
There are also scrolls across the top of certain pages with “In which Godfrey [does a thing].” These tended to be clunky and didn’t add to the story.
MC: I really liked the pictures and I thought it was fun how the creatures did Godfrey’s chores for him.
Mom: The Note to the Reader and The Bestiary, at the end of the book were great additions to the book providing excellent introduction to the original artwork from the medieval era and overview of the time period.
MyChild: My favorite part was how the lion made friends with the kittens.

Illustrations are beautiful and engaging. I was excited to read this book with my kids, but the wording and phrases used weren't as easy to get through as most children's book. The concept is great, but my kids were a little confused at times, and at the end they gave it a solid "eh". I think it seemed a little too formal / less juvenile than they are used to. I think this is one that they will really love in a few years, or even after a few readings once the language & story become more familiar.

This is a lovely introduction for children into Medieval times! The artwork is fantastic, and it introduces some mythical creatures that are not as well-known along with some familiar favorites. The text in the back is very informative, and the legends from actual bestiaries would make a lovely addition to any bookshelf.

I love bestiaries. I love the illuminations, and the weird descriptions of creatures, and the entire concept of a book full of wonderful beasts! This picture book is a lovely introduction to some of the fantasy creatures you might meet in the pages of a real-life bestiary.

Visually, this book is a real treat, and I spent a long time looking at each page to capture all the details. The colours are incredible. You can see from the cover image how bright and enthralling they are – it’s really pretty and also very true to the actual look of an illuminated manuscript. The dusty brown of the courtyard evokes the parchment pages, and the beasts absolutely shine out from it, holding the eye and the imagination.

The story itself is very sweet, involving Geoffrey, a young boy who “borrows” a bestiary from a scribe and spends the rest of the day making up tales about a knight with his name who meets the beasties from the pages! As he mentions each beast, it pops out of the bestiary and comes to life, but Geoffrey is oblivious… It’s not a particularly convoluted plot, but it works to show off the creatures, and is, in a way, a bestiary itself! There’s a lot of subtle humour in the story, which I think would make this appeal to adults as well as children, and there’s plenty of charm in the writing. It would make a really cute gift, especially for historians who have young kids!

Five out of five stars!

Sono infinite le incombenze in un castello del 1200: lo sa bene Godfrey, che invece di sognare avventure e cavalleria deve nutrire il pollame, accendere il fuoco, raccogliere pere, spazzare - ed è solo l'inizio!

Ma come resistere alla tentazione di dare una sbirciata al ricco volume che un miniaturista sta decorando con immagini di animali fantastici su incarico della castellana?

E come resistere alla tentazione di nominare quelle bestie - unicorni, draghi, grifoni, leoni - nel raccontarsi un'avventura di Godfrey l'Intrepido?

Solo che Godfrey non sa che nominare le bestie è evocarle - e per fortuna che il caso le porta ad aiutarlo a sbrigare le sua mansioni, prima di rientrare fra le pagine!

Un volumetto ricchissimo, sia nelle bellissime illustrazioni sia nel garbo con cui credenze e vita comune nel Medioevo vengono presentate; utili e leggere le note storiche alla fine del testo, che invece è pieno di fantasia e ritmo.

Una vera gemma.

I quite liked this, although mostly my opinion is based on the wonderful artwork, which is detailed, expressive, vivid, and rather fun, all at the same time. If you feel your child needs to know about bestiaries and mediaeval books of beasts, this is a good way to deliver that lesson. A young serf gets so wrapped up in his imaginary monsters and fantastical creatures that they come to life, and manage to do all his chores for him. The actual education at the end doesn't really merge with the story, but either way these ancient volumes are brought to the modern, young audience, and I think fun is had. I certainly learnt about a creature I'd never even heard of before. More or less five stars for the art, and overall a strong four.

I <i>loved</i> the artwork for <i>Don't Let the Beasties Escape This Book</i> by Julie Berry and illustrated by the wonderfully talented April Lee. Travel back in time to have a look at some of the fantastical creatures that made their way into a medieval bestiary and the young boy who reads a very magical book aloud that he probably should have left alone. I think this book is an amazing way to get children interested history as they learn about the ways in which animals were documented in the past. And, even more wonderfully, there's even a bit at the end for those kiddos who want to read a little bit more into the work that was being put into the book that our dashing young main character, Godfrey, finds at the beginning of the story that touches base on what bestiaries are, how they work, and what impact they had on the past. While I loved the book already, I have to admit that this piece was something I was exceedingly excited about.

Our story begins with young Godfrey talking to his parents, peasants who work up at the castle who warn him to leave the scribe who is writing the newest addition to the king's bestiary collection be whilst he goes about doing his chores for the day. Of course, Godfrey who has a wild imagination and great dreams of being a brave knight--who didn't in that time period, though?--doesn't listen to his parents and sneaks in to take a peek at the book before snatching it up to imagine an adventure for himself. The scribe, someone whom is easily identified as a wizard seems to have been up to some mischief of his own and as Godfrey imagines his adventure, he reads aloud from the book. Each time he names a creature, it finds its way out from its pages.

This is a wonderfully amusing and engaging read, one I had great joy moving through. I found the main character relatable and fun, definitely someone that I would have looked up to had I read this story as a child. It's certainly the kind of book that I would love to get a kid of my own at some point in the future, if I ever have one. It's definitely a tale right up my alley and one I had a blast reading.

<i>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

A super cute and highly imaginative fantasy picture book where all the legendary beasties come to life! There wasn't much of a plot but that's okay. It's still a fun read. I wish the beasties had been fleshed out and stuck around a little longer. I do like how the different creatures were explained at the end of the book. My absolute favorite part was the lion protecting the kittens throughout the story! 😻🦁🐈🐾💕 

***All the gratitude to Netgalley and Getty Publications for the review copy.***

I want to start by talking about the talent of April Lee, this work is wounderful!!!! The pictures are beautiful and I really enjoyed them! The story took a little to understand, something that helped was the illustration. The story is about a boy who wants to read about creaters & knights but he needs to finish his chores first. As he reads things start to happened! This was a fun read and recommend to readers around 6 or 7 years old, even though younger reads could enjoy the art. I will be looking up April Lee work, her art was just fantastic!
Thank you for the opportunity to read & review this book, looking forward to Julie Berrys other novels. ;)

The pictures in this book are so beautifully drawn! It would probably be a wonderful story for an older reader but when sharing it with my toddler I had to make up words instead of reading everything that was written.