Publisher Description
When studying mysterious creatures called cryptids, the line between fact and fable sometimes blurs. Believable finds-like the Piltdown Man and the Cardiff Giant-may turn out to be clever hoaxes. And impossible fictions-like a 44-foot squid and a living "missing link," the coelacanth-may be found swimming today's oceans. The Earth's remote regions and the water's murky depths may still harbor undiscovered marvels. Reports of Bigfoot-like creatures spring from the wilds of every continent. And tales of super-sized reptiles abound in the world's rain forests and jungles. From proven frauds to startling realities, dozens of cryptids-like Champ and Nessie-come alive and receive balanced treatment. In this CYBILS Literary Award nominee and Junior Library Guild selection, Kelly Milner Halls, Rick Spears, and Roxyanne Young take kids and their parents on an imaginative and fun-filled romp through the history of cryptids. Ed Sala's masterful narration helps listeners ponder some intriguing possibilities. ". a delight for casual browsers and for would-be cryptozoologists alike."-Kirkus Reviews ". Halls, Spears, and Young obviously had a grand time pulling up creepy critters to feed readers' fertile imaginations."-Library Journal
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“A delight for casual browsers and for would-be cryptozoologists alike.”
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Kirkus Reviews
About the Authors
Kelly Milner Halls believes in imagination, even if she’s not so sure all of these cryptids are real. But not knowing is okay. She fell in love with the Loch Ness monster when she was just a sprout living in Texas and never stopped wondering. Her two daughters (Kerry and Vanessa) seven cats, three dogs, and a solitary goldfish are patient when it comes to all this unproven fun! They even like having a mom who’s a little weird.
Rick Spears was afraid of the dark as a kid, because his imagination filled the shadows with all sorts of strange creatures. The thoughts of monsters lurking in the gloom of night were pretty frightening to young Rick; however, as he got older, he learned that if he drew those monsters on paper, or sculpted them out of clay, then he was in control of them, and they didn’t seem so scary anymore. Rick now lives in Georgia, building models and exhibits for museums, and illustrating cool books about dinosaurs and cryptozoology.
Roxyanne Young has loved creepy, weird stuff since she was a kid and her grandmother told her about the Bardin Booger, her hometown’s version of Bigfoot. Since then, she’s loved hearing stories about fantastic, mystical, and mythical creatures and writing stories about them, too. “Our stories are sacred things,” Young says. “They define us as human beings and teach us how we’re supposed to fit into the world. But sometimes we find pieces that don’t quite fit, and that’s when things get really, really interesting.” Today Roxyanne lives in San Diego with her husband, daughter, a cat that sees ghosts, and a big, yellow lab.
About Ed Sala
Ed Sala has narrated dozens of audio books throughout his career. His readings include Harlan Coben’s Tell No One, Stephen Sears’ Gettysburg, and Cormac MacCarthy’s Outer Dark.