Vampires!

November 1, 2012

Gr 2-4-In each of these titles, a loosely developed framing story allows a character to describe the monster in question and share one or two related stories from folklore. Captions provide most of the information, supported by weak but functional dialogue to move the tales ahead. Action is limited, but the graphic format, featuring well-drawn but unexciting images, does allow for characters, background, and most importantly, the monsters, to make an appearance. Unfortunately, the combination of description as storytelling and flat characters and dialogue make for rather dry reading. A character list and bulleted facts about each creature are included on the table of contents page, where they are likely to be missed, and additional stories are summarized on a final page. Additional resources direct readers to the PowerKids website, which features links ranging widely in terms of accuracy, authority, and appropriateness. The page for chupacabras does not work at all. These volumes are additional purchases for libraries with strong interest in one or more of these creatures. Otherwise, Gary Jeffrey's "Graphic Mythical Creatures" series (Gareth Stevens) is a better choice.-Heather Talty, formerly at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City

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