5 stars
Beautiful, gorgeous, amazing book! I absolutely loved this one. I really wish it was a series of some sort.
First of all, the illustrations are just stupendous. Loved the colors and details. I really enjoy the idea of imagining various magical creatures as pets (the snuggly hydra was my favorite).
It was also a really interesting way to learn about mythical creatures. Various creatures are shown in the illustrations, from unicorns and dragons to golems and hippocampi. There is also a section at the end that goes into more detail about each creature including place of origin and various traits as well as speculation on where the idea came from in the natural world.
Just a lovely book overall.
I also enjoyed the story, going through the shop, looking at all of the creatures and trying to find the perfect match. Wonderful ending to such a magical book. The rhyming was also a fun touch.
I really, really enjoyed this book. Read with a little girl at work and she loved all of the fun illustrations.