Good Wives and Warriors

The Publisher Says: From the West African fable of Anansi the Spider, to Michabo, the magical hare who rebuilt the world and Tanuki, the sweet but troublesome raccoon-dog of Japanese folklore, Mythopedia is an encyclopedia of mythical creatures that covers legends, tales and myths from around the world.

Lovingly created by the illustration duo behind popular flipbook Myth Match, Good Wives and Warriors, this book contains pages upon pages of cultural folklore from around the world.

I RECEIVED show more A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: An overview, with stories, from world mythologies is the kind of gift I'd've *killed* for as an information-hungry kid; I love the D'Aulaire's world mythology books with their beautiful illustrations that picked the exact details I was most interested in to summon the real emotional impact of the myth being condensed (and bowdlerized for its audience, of course).

The Haida story of Raven, the trickster god, and his antics...complete with moral message that you can't know what will happen in this life, even the gods, because there's no way to know what others will do with your ideas and gifts...is as good a starter for you as any. We see the overview of Raven as a being, and are told about Raven's origins and personality:

Then the tale associated with Raven is presented in a bedtime-friendly bite, or a reasonably balanced afternoon's read for a very young person:

The illustration style, the graphic presentation, the whole package...just exactly right for your young mythology-loving giftee. Not a few grown-ups wouldn't say no, either.

Probably my personal favorite myth, the Brazilian Encantado, is an Amazonian pink dolphin who transforms into a beautiful young man, full of fun and dressed for a party. He can show up at any gathering. No one knows him but soon everyone feels they must know him or the party will be pointless. He sometimes makes the night a joy; he sometimes steals more than a maidenly heart, though, and can leave his stolen loves with otherwise unexplainable babies.

You can, I trust, see the utility of that tale among people who live along a river with commerce and predators (human or otherwise) active all over.

As an adult the stories take on that extra cast of meaning. This makes them more interesting to offer to our grand/children. We can demonstrate with stories what values we support...and give ones we don't care for a miss, or emphasize their less nice attributes.

Great gift that will please a child and a parent in similar measure. show less

‘’The Elves explained that this chain, called Gleipnir, was made from six ingredients:
The sound of a cat’s footsteps
The roots of a mountain
The beard of a woman
The sinews of a bear
The breath of a fish
The spittle of a bird.’’

Isn’t it wonderful how we see images in our minds? How we form them and give them shape and voice? From the face on the moon to the shapes in the clouds, and all those strange creatures, the offspring of our imagination (or are they…?) that have shaped our show more fears and warn us to be cautious, to respect what we cannot understand.

Which we don’t but that is a discussion for another time.

Creatures known and obscure from America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. From Pegasus to Chimera, from Medusa to Fenrir, from Quetzalcoatle to Encantado and Zilant, from Ratatoskr to Anansi, from the Yeti to Anubis and Bastet, from Shenlong to Barong and Tanuki, travel around the world guided by a rather formidable company.

Amazing artwork, brilliantly written.

Many thanks to Laurence King Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ show less

Received with many thanks from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

The illustrations within this book are beyond beautiful. The facts and stories drew me in. I saw others reading this book and enjoying it. I can see why, this book was food for the eyes. I would definitely read more by the authors. This book was very informative and I learnt about mythical creatures that I had never heard off and got more information on those creatures that I did know about. Would show more highly recommend this to people of all ages. show less

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
If the title Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them was still available, it would be perfect for this book full of dazzling illustrations. A combination of fantastical zoo and mythological atlas, I could have spend many hours with this book as a kid.