The Horn Book Guide

LITERATURE

Larios, Julie

Imaginary Menagerie: A Book of Curious Creatures

32 pp. | Harcourt | April, 2008 | Trade ISBN 978-0-15-206325-2 $16.00

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Julie Paschkis. Dragons, mermaids, and trolls inhabit this menagerie, as do creatures from world folktales, including firebirds (Russia) and Naga water deities (Southeast Asia). Larios's fourteen poems capture in very few words each creature's essence. Paschkis's gouache paintings, with their intense colors and repeated curving lines, often incorporate culture-specific stylistic elements. A closing page provides brief information about each creature.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2008