A high level encyclopedia of mythical creatures. Each entry usually contains a picture of the creature.

I loved the graphics in this, and the cover really drew me in. Unfortunately the text was not so compelling. There's a lot of repetition and not much detail. I'd have loved if the author went a little deeper into each creature, with more information and variety in illustration, rather than have such a wide scope but little depth.

*received for free from netgalley for hoenst review* I was very excited about this book, until I started reading it. This in theory is an awesome book but the content in this book is from my understanding containing a lot of things that aren't "cryptid creatures". This book has a lot of information and a lot of creatures though, interesting read even if it wasn't really my cup of tea.

A well researched and written overview of cryptozoology perfect for anyone interested in unknown creatures or mysteries

An interesting book for kids, on an interesting subject. What kid isn't intrigued by mysterious creatures like Bigfoot, Nessie, and so many others? This handy guide will give the kiddos a good run-down of cryptids, including a reality rating system, with one star denoting a proven hoax (like Piltdown Man), 6 stars a creature that's been proven real (like the coelacanth), and the varying degrees of likelihood in between. Each creatures gets a few sketches, done field notebook-style, showing an adult, a juvenile, and a skull. The information on each creature includes where it's found, when it was first sited, eyewitness accounts, etc. This would be a fun addition to any child's book collection, and will most likely be added to my nephews' library when they get a little older.

#CryptidCreatures #NetGalley

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

My apologies on the delay in the review.

My children and I read this book together. We liked that the book contained some
Interested facts in addition to the photos and such. We definitely would read this again and give it as a gift!

actual rating: 3.5

This was a decent enough book about different kinds of cryptids, but I personally felt like the author was maybe a bit too lenient with the level of 'this might actually exist' she attributed to some of the creatures. I mean I can buy that there might be giant octopus in the ocean or in some remote forest where no one lives, but if one of the hundred different Bigfoot equivalents was actually just chilling in your local forest I feel like someone would have found one by now. Still, she is good about presenting the facts and accounts in a scientific manner and mentions when cryptids are provens hoaxes. I think it would be a good book for children who are interested in cryptids or even just to have as a coffee table book for people to browse.

I find the approach to cryptids in this book refreshing. Halls is fairly scientific. The reader is presented with the history of the creature (generally in the form of eyewitness reports), any tangible evidence like tracks or photographs, and the likelihood of the creature being proven to exist. Through these profiles the reader learns about animal habitats and what is needed for scientific proof. While this book will have the most appeal for cryptid enthusiasts, there are elements the skeptic can enjoy as well.

Kids who love cryptozoology are going to want a copy of this book as their very own. For that kind of kid, this isn't a library book. I can see kids pouring over the pages and maybe taking notes for themselves too. It's so fun!

Cryptid Creatures: A Field Guide, written by Kelly Milner Halls and illustrated by Rick Spears, is currently scheduled for release on September 24 2019. Cryptozoology is the study of mysterious creatures that fall between the realm of real and imaginary on the scientific spectrum. Cryptid Creatures: A Field Guide offers a closer look at fifty of these amazing creatures, examining the best possible evidence for each, including scientific papers, magazine and newspaper articles, and credible eyewitness accounts. These fifty cryptids are arranged in order alphabetically, and in addition to speculative illustrations, include details like when they were first reported, whether they are terrestrial, aerial, or aquatic, and each have a reality rating of 1 to 6, in which 1 means that the cryptid has been confirmed as a hoax, and 6 means the cryptid has been proven as real. This guide might inspire curious readers to investigate more on their own, and maybe even help to prove if a cryptid is a hoax or is real.


Cryptid Creatures: A Field Guide is a book that I think will be in my house hold as soon as it is released in print, as my children and I love this sort of thing. This book takes a look at some common (and some less known) creatures of legend and lore. I like that fossil evidence, eye witness accounts, and scientific research is used to really look at whether these cryptid creatures could be real, or could have been in the past. I also like that the probability of these creatures existing is looked at logically to try to understand obstacles and dangers they would face, or could cause, in the areas they are expected to live. I also like how towards the end of the book the creatures are listed again, but by creature types rather than in alphabetical order. It is interesting to see how common some cryptid types are across cultures, while others are very specific to a particular region. The endpages with additional reading will help readers further explore the subject, and information on the creatures that interest them most. I think this is a well done collection, and it will please many interested readers from a variety of ages and reading levels.

Cryptid Creatures: A Field Guide is an interesting and well researched look at fifty creatures in cryptozoology. While this only touches the surface of such creatures and legends, it is a great resource and read for those interested.

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. I enjoyed it, though I think some of the author's assessments of the likelihood of certain creatures existing are a bit dodgy. As an Aussie, it's nice to see Drop Bears mentioned. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

This is really enjoyable. I appreciate the artwork, the "reality rating," the pronunciation guide, and the factoids and the interesting asides about cryptid-related things. I like the inclusion of straight-up hoaxes and the explanations of them. I think this would be a great book to have at home to dip in and out of vs. a straight read-through, although it would be fine for that too if it's your jam.

There is an appendix with cryptids sorted by type; I would have liked another with cryptids sorted by region (although region is mentioned next to the cryptid in the existing appendix). There is a "Read More About It" section with further information, although specific sources aren't cited in the text. There is a glossary.

This is a fun, engaging book about many mythical or semi mythical creatures that may or may not exist. It is ideal for children giving a overview of the cultures and locations to which these creatures may belong.
The images are simple and the book doesn’t take itself too seriously and for that reason my son found to a little too ‘young’ for him. This would however be an ideal introduction to the world of mythical beasts for younger readers.

I very much like this book -- especially the assortment of creatures included and details about their likely reality. I appreciate that the illustrations are simple and in the style of a field guide, but I'm afraid they are not engaging enough to include this title in my list of monster books for children. Otherwise, great presentation of details, trivia, and background on each creature. I especially love the inclusion of skeletal/fossil and juvenile images.

Very fun book with intriguing illustrations. Great variety of cryptids covered and I'm sure it'll delight kids who are fans of nature and the spooky!

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

If I was a kid, I'd be obsessed with this book. It's a very concise listing of cryptid creatures from around the world that, instead of just providing folky pseudo-science, actually makes efforts to question the level of validity that these things exist. Information includes first discovery year, location, the type (like fish-like) and the reality rating. The latter is explained a the beginning, with the higher amount of the maximum six stars meaning there is a lot of evidence or the creature (such as the coelacanth) have been flat-out proven real. One-star creatures have been completely debunked, two stars have slim evidence, etc. The illustrations are perhaps the biggest complaint I have, as they generally follow a simple formula. There is a sketch of an adult creature, a juvenile version and an imagining of what the skull would look like for each one. It is passable, but I would have preferred more variety, like one case in which we see Bigfoot rummaging through camper food. Overall, I think this a great book that would be a good middle ground between flat out telling someone "no they don't exist" and explaining levels of evidence, theories and real life examples.

Not very scientific book about things that bump in the night. If you are interested in chupacabra and babadook, this would be your book.

A lovely book for anyone with a Fortean bent – anybody who likes the hairs on the backs of their neck raised in a gentle way by scientific debate and folkloric hearsay can expect such from this. It lists a whole host of mysterious animal sightings, from all over the world, and discusses in just a few succinct paragraphs what might actually have been seen, who can be taken seriously, and so on. (Just how many of these sightings from the druggy '70s can we accept?!) So we get chupacabras, gigantic shark-dwarfing centipedes from the seas off Vietnam, and a whole host more. The art is sterling stuff, too – always trying to show every animal in dramatic pose, but also presenting an image of their adult skull and them as a baby, just in case we get a field encounter of our own. Only rarely does the captioning doubt the truth of these imaginings, which aids to the sense that this is just a guide to some esoteric critters we need to know more about. Well, we have found the coelacanth and others in here to be real since they were first thought extinct or legendary – who's to say about some of the rest? For those with a knowledge of this stuff, this might be a little on the slight side at times, but I really did like it, and it has a global scope to put many other such publications to shame. A strong four stars.

This was a super fun read! It's a great overview of cryptids from around the world - many of which I found myself doing more research on. It's got illustrations to go along with each creature - and I have to admit the illustrations of the babies might have been my favorite part. I will say, I didn't always agree with the ratings - but I do like the air of mystery it creates. This book would be perfect for kids curious in the unknown and I might pick up a copy for my younger cousins!

"Cryptid Creatures" is an interesting look at the maybe real and maybe not so real creatures that come from pop culture and facts. A lot of fun t read.