THE MAGNIFICENT MONSTERS OF CREEPINGTON ISLE

A picture-book guide to fantastic island monsters.

Imagine a safari where instead of lions, giraffes, and ostriches, there is a creature called a Zabb: part eagle, part chimp, part crab, part chicken, and part beagle. In Emmons’ picture book, a cordial blue-skinned and green-eyed monster named Cornelius leads tours of the tropical and snowcapped Creepington Isle’s magnificent monsters. When arriving at the dock, never mind the tentacles, scales, and claws; the dapperly dressed Cornelius, in a blazer, button down, bowtie, and bowler hat, is a gracious host. Some monsters have onomatopoeic names that seem befitting, like the Yumbler, the Bammer, and the Gabble.  Others have names that are a combination of their features, including the Bink (who has big, stinky feet) and the Slurm (a long, slime-loving worm). Some have names that just seem randomly nonsensical, such as the Bleephus, the Yopp, and the Zilla-Ma-Zong. Regular animals live there too, as squirrels, penguins, spiders, and butterflies are seen in the coconut trees and on the ice. (Kaijan, a giant flying chipmunk, seems out of place.) At the tour’s end, there’s a monster party, and Cornelius assures readers that “there’s nothing to fear.” The author’s rhyming descriptions are catchy and fun (“She munches on bicycles, fences and trees. She’ll eat a piano and spit out the keys!”); they complement Whitehead’s outlandish looking monsters, with their outlandish and occasionally gross traits. This rhyming jaunt through monsterland will surely invite giggles.

A boisterous roundup of creepy but friendly creatures with butt horns, multiple eyes, fuzz, and more.