"I tell you there is a monster"

4/15/2017

The Loch Ness Monster by Erin Peabody ill by Victor Rivas

"I tell you there is a monster...like all that is darkening and heavy and obstructive in life." H. G. Wells

Big Foot. Zombies. Werewolves. Loch Ness Monster.
Fascinating subjects for young readers. Kids can't seem to get enough of this stuff. Libraries constantly search for titles about these popular topics to include in the children's collection.
That's the brilliance behind this new nonfiction series from Little Bee Books. With 128 pages, kid-friendly trim size, plenty of images, and large accessible font; this series offers an appealing introduction to nonfiction. These subjects are particularly enticing for those who think that they don't like nonfiction.

"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
Sherlock Holmes, fictional character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

In July 1933 George Spicer and his wife were traveling on a road adjacent to the Loch (Lake) Ness in Scotland. Mrs. Spicer suddenly exclaimed, "What on earth is that?!" She and her husband watched in astonishment as an "extraordinary form of an animal" lumbered in front of their vehicle. He recounted his sighting to the local newspaper, which set off a fervor that built to a fever pitch as locals and curiosity seekers descended on the Loch. Many were convinced that they had seen the beast. In the intervening years, various expeditions have been organized: everything from an investigation by United Kingdom's Daily Mail, underwater photography, to intensive sonar technology.
The author parses the legends of monsters, reports of sightings, and latest scientific research on the subject.

Peabody's narrative relies on a combination of history, mythology, and science. She does not shy away from using precise terminology such as cryptids, vindication, retaliation, corollary, and pheromones. Some youngsters may be able to deduce the general meaning of these terms from context. Other readers may need additional support with unfamiliar vocabulary.
Quotations at the beginning of each chapter (a few sample quotes included here) are well chosen. Victor Rivas' black and white line drawings effortlessly span the range of styles needed, moving from realistic to fantastical.

"The great tragedy of Science - the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact." Thomas Henry Huxley

FINAL NOTE:

I'm still keeping one eye open for the "buarach-bhaio" AKA the wizard shackle. This is a nine-eyed eel reported to be found lurking in shallow water, twisting around the victim's ankles, dragging its prey underwater. Following capture of an unsuspecting human, the monster sucks out the victim's blood. Then the ingested blood spurts from the eel's nine eye sockets. Use that little factoid in a booktalk and The Loch Ness Monster will have a request list as long as Nessie's tail!