cover image MONSTER MUSEUM

MONSTER MUSEUM

Marilyn Singer, , illus. by Gris Grimly. . Hyperion, $14.99 (40pp) ISBN 978-0-7868-0520-4

To the rollicking beat of Singer's (The Circus Lunicus) absurd poems, children trail an undead docent through a "monster museum" where the exhibits are wax replicas... or are they? The visitors see Frankenstein's creation ("I'm called Frankenstein,/ but it's his name, not mine"), the Blob and "Those mixed-up beasts from ancient Greece: the chimera, the cockatrice." Grimly, a Charles Addams devotee, packs the spreads with frantic activity that rewards sharp eyes; on the tour, sneaky things ambush museum-goers. Among the season's best creature features. Ages 5-9. (Sept.)