cover image Giants and Trolls

Giants and Trolls

Alice Peebles, illus. by Nigel Chilvers. Lerner/Hungry Tomato, $7.99 trade paper (32p) ISBN 978-1-4677-7653-0

In one of four titles kicking off the Mythical Beasts series, Peebles introduces 10 of the “biggest, meanest and most bloodthirsty creatures that stomped the world in ancient times,” ranking them in terms of strength, repulsiveness, ferocity, and other categories. Brief but gruesome narratives (“Licking his lips with a black tongue, King Troll grabbed the man and prepared to roast him on the fire”) mirror the action in Chilvers’s digital collages, which lavish attention on the monsters’ gleaming fangs, bulging muscles, and misshapen features. Most hail from Greek and Norse myth (Odysseus’s brushes with one-eyed Polyphemus and man-eating Laestrygonians are mentioned), and Peebles includes tips for readers who might face these creatures in the wild (hint: have salt or an arrow dipped in hydra blood handy). Simultaneously available: Demons and Monsters, Mighty Mutants, and Monsters of the Gods. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)