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wetdryvac's review against another edition
4.0
A book of quotes and passages with art from Eric Carle. I love Carle's art, and the passage selection is interesting.
robotswithpersonality's review against another edition
Strange that I love some of the books Carle illustrates and feel quite 'meh' about others.
Though the loved v. meh books have some things in common:
Love: white background, vibrant images
Meh: vague patterned backgrounds competing with muddy foreground images
Love: simple narratives, especially if there's an element of interaction/tangibility in the book's setup
Meh: collections of others' words on a theme used as prompts for illustrations
This book was a collection of poems by others, most of which were bordering on the dumb kind of silly about mythological creatures, or not particularly good, and then there were a few poems about figures from religions/cultural spiritualities which feels kind of weird to end up in a book with the word 'creature' in the title. 😬
Shout out to the mermaid and Chinese Dragon art pieces, the saving graces for me.
Though the loved v. meh books have some things in common:
Love: white background, vibrant images
Meh: vague patterned backgrounds competing with muddy foreground images
Love: simple narratives, especially if there's an element of interaction/tangibility in the book's setup
Meh: collections of others' words on a theme used as prompts for illustrations
This book was a collection of poems by others, most of which were bordering on the dumb kind of silly about mythological creatures, or not particularly good, and then there were a few poems about figures from religions/cultural spiritualities which feels kind of weird to end up in a book with the word 'creature' in the title. 😬
Shout out to the mermaid and Chinese Dragon art pieces, the saving graces for me.
sean67's review against another edition
3.0
Carle celebrates mythology around the world, with quotes and fragments companioned with his illustrations in a nice little book.
Eric Carle #30/80
Eric Carle #30/80
bdotwellman's review against another edition
3.0
I am reviewing this book as a poetry book. It is a compilation of poems from several authors about very strange and imaginary creatures. Eric Carle illustrated the imaginary creatures using the descriptions from the poems. This book is intended for fourth and fifth grade students. The poems are a bit more complex for younger students. This book can be applied to several lessons in the classroom. Geography is a great way to implement this book. Most of the creatures are from certain parts of the world. You could find out where they are from and then have the students make a description of the environment they live in, what foods they might eat, etc. It would make a great art activity as well. You could read the poem to the students and have them recreate what they picture the creature to look like. There are a couple of concerns with content in this book. The book has a lot of fantasy and mythological creatures that some parents might not want their children discussing or learning about. There is also a poem from the Bible. It does not mention any religious aspects but the Bible has always been a controversial book in public schools.
jmanchester0's review against another edition
5.0
Mythological beasts with Eric Carle‰ЫЄs very-hungry-caterpillar art? Yes! This was a gorgeous book. With short little poems about each beast by different authors - with at least one going back to BCE.
zelma's review against another edition
1.0
Course evaluation:
Personal Response: I was slightly confused by this anthology. The inclusion of Eric Carle’s artwork made me think this was intended for a younger audience, but the poems are pretty advanced. Some knowledge in classical literature and a good vocabulary or dictionary would be useful to understanding the poems.
Evaluation: This picture book is an effective representation of illustrations helping tell the story with the text. Carle’s use of colorful collage evokes the otherworldliness of the creatures. The artwork also helps bring understanding and clarity to a rather complex set of poems. The poems alternate between rhyming and free verse, with one using shape to reflect the creature itself (a phoenix).
Personal Response: I was slightly confused by this anthology. The inclusion of Eric Carle’s artwork made me think this was intended for a younger audience, but the poems are pretty advanced. Some knowledge in classical literature and a good vocabulary or dictionary would be useful to understanding the poems.
Evaluation: This picture book is an effective representation of illustrations helping tell the story with the text. Carle’s use of colorful collage evokes the otherworldliness of the creatures. The artwork also helps bring understanding and clarity to a rather complex set of poems. The poems alternate between rhyming and free verse, with one using shape to reflect the creature itself (a phoenix).
delz's review against another edition
5.0
When it comes to Eric Carle, Dragons and poetry how can you go wrong?
pussreboots's review against another edition
5.0
My son takes after his father. He is a re-reader, far more than I am. His current re-read obsession is Dragons, Dragons edited and illustrated by Eric Carle. It's a library book from his elementary school and his name is the only name in it for the last three check-outs. I can see why he loves it, it's a fantastic bestiary with quotes from a number of authors and well known book and each mythical beast is illustrated in Eric Carle's unique style.
The book has mythical beasts from around the world including western and Chinese dragons, Greco-Roman beasts, Egyptian beasts, Australian ones and Sean's personal favorite Anansi the spider. Along with the illustrations, each beast has a little bit of poetry. For instance, the western dragon has a quote from Anne McCaffrey. Other authors included are Sir Richard Burton, John Gardner, X. J. Kennedy, Laura Whipple, William Blake, Myra Cohn Livinginston and many others. There is a full bibliography in the back of the book for anyone interested.
Dragons, Dragons is not a typically short Eric Carle book. It is sixty-eight pages of complex text and sometimes hard to pronounce words. It typically takes us two nights (of about ten minutes each) of reading the book when I read it out loud. It though is worth the effort and may very well inspire discussions of mythology, poetry, history and geography.
The book has mythical beasts from around the world including western and Chinese dragons, Greco-Roman beasts, Egyptian beasts, Australian ones and Sean's personal favorite Anansi the spider. Along with the illustrations, each beast has a little bit of poetry. For instance, the western dragon has a quote from Anne McCaffrey. Other authors included are Sir Richard Burton, John Gardner, X. J. Kennedy, Laura Whipple, William Blake, Myra Cohn Livinginston and many others. There is a full bibliography in the back of the book for anyone interested.
Dragons, Dragons is not a typically short Eric Carle book. It is sixty-eight pages of complex text and sometimes hard to pronounce words. It typically takes us two nights (of about ten minutes each) of reading the book when I read it out loud. It though is worth the effort and may very well inspire discussions of mythology, poetry, history and geography.
oldwindways's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book with some great Eric Carle illustrations I had not seen before, as well as some excellent poems. I had picked it up at the library for my 2+ year-old daughter (also an Eric Carle fan), but in hindsight, this may be better suited for slightly older children. Many of the poems are of more complex structures (not just your standard simple rhythm and meter), and the mythical creatures range from the wonderous to the slightly disturbing. It may be necessary to read the whole book over multiple sittings, but that should be fine since each poem is more or less a standalone piece.
The glossary in the back is handy for reference but definitely did not hold my daughter's attention. The pronunciation guide in the glossary was quite helpful, and I wish I had known it was there before I had butchered the names of some of the mythical creatures I was familiar with. I also learned a thing or two, like I had no idea that the Basilisk and the Cockatrice were the same creatures, and I was not familiar with Amphisbaena (nor the tidbit that it apparently made an appearance in colonial Massachusetts). Its also a nice touch that the creatures are not exclusively "Western", including a sprinkling of Asian, African, and Native American ones (plus at least on Australian creature, the Bunyip).
Will read again.
The glossary in the back is handy for reference but definitely did not hold my daughter's attention. The pronunciation guide in the glossary was quite helpful, and I wish I had known it was there before I had butchered the names of some of the mythical creatures I was familiar with. I also learned a thing or two, like I had no idea that the Basilisk and the Cockatrice were the same creatures, and I was not familiar with Amphisbaena (nor the tidbit that it apparently made an appearance in colonial Massachusetts). Its also a nice touch that the creatures are not exclusively "Western", including a sprinkling of Asian, African, and Native American ones (plus at least on Australian creature, the Bunyip).
Will read again.