MAGICAL CREATURES AND MYTHICAL BEASTS

With the aid of a special flashlight, an Oxford don’s daughter spots dozens of creatures of legend and folklore on a world tour.

Happily, readers can do the same with the removable thumb light encased in the cover. Millie’s ever oblivious dad delivers quick lectures on the facts behind the Loch Ness Monster, Pegasus, Japanese yokai, “sewer gators” in New York City, Uzbekistani griffins, and more. Meanwhile, young Millie tags along, offering less skeptical observations while revealing with her magic light a world teeming with diaphanous wonders. The gimmick works unusually well; even under close examination the various creatures hidden in Ngai’s expansive landscapes and bustling urban scenes are invisible until the ambient lighting is dimmed and the blue minilight switched on. Better yet, even after the tour ends amid Oxford’s book- (and goblin-) laden shelves, a page turn reveals 18 more sprites and wights to find in a second go-round. The Eurocentric itinerary loops quickly through Asia, Oceania, and the Americas while leaving India and Africa out entirely. Religions both ancient and current are treated as myth—the Rainbow Serpent of Aborigine tradition is dismissed as a legend, for instance. Aside from one brown-skinned librarian, every human in sight is either White, concealed beneath umbrellas or big sunglasses, or turned away. Still, the size and diverse character of the supernatural cast give this a leg (claw, tentacle) up on most monster-hunting guides. The light’s button battery is replaceable.

Parochial, but undeniably illuminating.