#617 of 1001 · April 9, 2022

If a tale that mixes folkloric menace with a healthy dose of comedic slapstick violence is what you’re after, just wait until you get your hands on Ed Young’s The Terrible Nung-Gwama. A woman sets out to journey to her parents and bring them some cakes. On the road, she is confronted by a Nung Gwama, a ferocious monster with the body of a bull, sharp teeth and claws, and fat, floppy feet. When she refuses to hand over her cakes, the Nung Gwama informs her that he will come to her house that night and devour her. Fearing the creature’s reputation for messily devouring his prey, the woman begins to cry. Sympathetic passersby donate helpful objects to construct traps: a peddler gives her needles, a farmer gives her manure, a snake seller gives her poisonous snakes, a fish seller gives her biting fish, an egg seller gives her eggs, and a millstone seller gives her a heavy millstone and an iron bar. Incredibly, the Nung Gwama falls afoul of every single hazard exactly as planned and loses his life in the process. Young’s illustrations contrast the stoic body language of the woman with the exaggerated movements and outrageous expressions of the wicked beast. A note for folklore enthusiasts: this tale was originally collected and recorded as “The Nung-guama” in Chinese Folk and Fairy Tales by Leslie Bonnet. #woman #monster #creature #beast #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #beautifulbookcovers #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookillustrations #picturebookart #classicchildrensbooks #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks