Don’t Let the Beasties Escape This Book!
Young peasant Godfrey has a full day of chores, and his mother tells him not to disturb the artist who is painting a book of beasts for the lady of the castle.
Oh my. Godfrey cannot resist peeking at the book and imagines himself a bold hero: “Sir Godfrey the Glorious, of course!” When he calls the beasts by name, they respond by leaping from the bestiary. So the fun begins. Soon there’s a lion amidst the chickens, a unicorn spearing the hay, a griffin up the pear tree, and more. April Lee’s art brings the story alive in gorgeous colors: gold, umber, green, and scarlet.
This is not a book for the preschool set. Its whimsical premise and four pages of history at the end make it right instead for older kids—the publisher suggests K–2. Those last pages include wonderful reproductions from the bestiary that was the focus of an exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. That bestiary was the inspiration for this book.
Recommended.
