Book of Beasts (TickTock Publishing)

Monsters of Myth and Legend are always a fascinating subject for any children's book. Charlotte loves a good monster yarn, so seeing monsters that are taken straight from real-life folk tales and stories gives her the background to how some of her favourite fictional monsters came into being.

TickTock's brilliant art and presentation style comes to the fore in this collection, a bestiary par excellence detailing a whole army of nefarious creatures ranging from the undead through to the huge and powerful dragons that have become woven into the rich tapestry of folk stories right across the globe.

Each 'category' of monster is presented with some examples of the type of beasts to expect. Between categories we get to gaze on scenes of the monsters duking it out in brilliant battle scenes painted in high detail.

From lumbering brutes who rely on their sheer size and physical strength, like trolls and cyclops - to the more magical beasts who are experts at trickery and illusion, the book truly has something for everyone. It's also handy to know their weaknesses (for instance, did you know Zombies don't like a mouthful of salt? No one told us that in Zombie Training School!) and the fact boxes accompanying each beastly diagram is full of interesting facts and figures about your favourite monster.

Fabulous stuff and definitely something worth grabbing for your own little beastie!

Charlotte's best bit: Kitsune the 9 tailed fox goddess.

Daddy's Favourite bit: Learning how to make a golem (and how to keep it from being easily destroyed!) - Might come in handy at work!

(Kindly sent to us for review by TickTock Books)