Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Summary:

An approved textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since publication, Newt Scamander's masterpiece has entertained wizarding families through the generations. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is an indispensable introduction to the magical beasts of the Wizarding World. Scamander's years of travel and research have created a tome of unparalleled importance. Some of the beasts will be familiar to readers of the Harry Potter books - the Hippogriff, the Basilisk, the Hungarian Horntail ... Others will surprise even the most ardent amateur Magizoologist. This is an essential companion to the Harry Potter stories, and includes a new foreword from J.K. Rowling (writing as Newt Scamander) and six new beasts! (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)

Review:

While I absolutely adored revisiting the wizarding world, I was hoping the book would be a bit longer and have more.   Most of the animals in the encyclopedia you’re already introduced to through the book and/or movies.  This isn’t a bad thing per say, but I was hoping for more new information.  It would have been cool to also get a little insight into Scamander’s travels and how he came across them.  I know the movies gives us a little insight into those, but only a very limited amount.

I also read the kindle version and I think that I lost out on some of the experience.   I’ve heard the notes from the characters from Ron etc. on the physical copy are cute, but I missed them on first pass. Apparently, the audiobook is absolutely fantastic and comes with descriptions of the animal noises…I would definitely recommend checking that out if you have the opportunity!  I’d recommend picking up a physical copy to go with your collection if you have the chance.

Rating: 3 stars!

Who should read it? Folks who want to revisit the Wizarding World or aspiring Magizoologists.