Review of “Story Monsters Among Us” by Conrad J. Storad

Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)

We are immensely impressed by the research, thought, and effort that must've went into constructing Story Monsters Among Us! It is one of the most ambitious children's books we've ever read! It is unlike any children's book we've ever read!

Story Monsters Among Us takes a fun, interesting, and exciting angle in explaining many of the mythological/mythical creatures and characters found in stories throughout time and across civilizations. It also explains how these stories were passed down through the generations and ages, both from a fantastical perspective and from a historical perspective.

According to the mythos of this book, “Story Monsters” existed since the dawn of time, able to remember the different stories that people told and also able to transform into the various characters such as griffins, elves, and dragons.

This book reads similar to a comic or graphic novel, taking us through various times and across continents to whet our appetites with the stories of ancient Sumeria (The Epic of Gilgamesh), ancient India (Panchantantra); the mythologies of ancient Egypt and Greece, the plays of William Shakespeare, and even more modern stories by people like Dr. Seuss!

This book also follows the evolution of storytelling from oral tellings to cave drawings to cuneiform to the written word. It really is remarkable.

Furthermore, this book seems to champion the idea that storytelling, especially as it pertains to the passing on of knowledge and sparking creativity, will help lead to the progress of humanity. For instance, we see that many of the things that were once considered science-fiction like space travel and cryosleep became/become commonplace after several years or decades. This book takes us into the future when we're colonizing Mars and even venturing to other star systems. The point remains: stories will be with us no matter where we go, no matter how old we are, no matter what stage of life or stage our civilization is in. The ways we tell them might be different, but their significance remains.

Something we loved about this book was how well presented it was. We noticed in other children's books and graphic novels that text and action were sometimes difficult to see or follow. In this book, everything is clear: the illustrations are distinct, lines are sharp, and the color is appealing. Also, the text pops, so it's very easy to read.

We can definitely recommend this book!

Check it out on the Official Story Monsters!