Students seeking a lighthearted, fact-filled series on this popular topic will want to check this out. Succinct but not choppy sentences make for fast-paced, smooth reading, and a comfortable number of short sentences (roughly four to eight per page), with plenty of white space and dynamic illustrations, provide an accessible format for striving readers. Facts plus cheeky, sometimes gross, humor should captivate. Titles open with a “Meet __,” a light introductory paragraph that faces a full-page illustration of the cryptid. Next up is a short quiz about the creature, with answers and another illustration. Students learn what’s known about the creatures: historical information, i.e., where/when it was “discovered” and by whom; habits; characteristics; methods of communication; sightings; other, similar creatures in different parts of the world (plus their names in those places, with pictures); and media appearances, if any. Text and humor receive strong support from the artwork. Covers are stylishly cartoonish and chapter headings are large, boldfaced, and bracketed. Interior art features many generally captioned full-page color (and some black-and-white) illustrations, cartoons, cartoon overlays, photos, and other graphics, e.g., paw prints. Additionally, speech balloons frequently appear alongside mouths of people or animals in illustrations, photos, or cartoons to supply ­humorous commentaries. Each title includes at least one map displaying a cryptid’s usual habitat or a location where it’s been sighted (and, sometimes, how often it’s been observed). Numerous helpful informational “Fact” boxes appear frequently in each volume. Back matter includes a glossary (with pronunciation guides); “Read More” (a ­bibliography of books); “Internet Sites”; and an index. ­VERDICT Recommended for public and school libraries. A note: the ­Chupacabra title contains some scary ­elements.