The Big Book of Vampires

A fabulously creepy collection of vampire lore for blood-thirsty little people. A perfect Hallowe'en collection! A bloody great collection of vampire stories from around the world, in a large, beautifully illustrated edition - a perfect keepsake.

From Booklist

Despeyroux’s latest offers 13 vampire-themed legends and literary classics, all adapted into neat six- to eight-page narratives and illustrated with eerie Tim Burton–style art. Though written as at least mildly melodramatic episodes rather than just plot summaries, most of the tales—particularly Stoker’s “Dracula,” Polidori’s “The Vampire,” and Tolstoy’s “Family of the Vourdalak”—are so abbreviated that they rely on the art to create proper atmosphere and crank up the creepiness. At this, Falcone’s misty gothic scenes of pale, doll-like, exaggeratedly thin figures with pointy teeth and bloody mouths succeed admirably. Despeyroux also takes liberties in her retellings of six folktales, converting both the traditional dragon of Poland’s Wawel Castle and the demonic revenant in a Danish barrow tale to vampires to fit the theme, for instance. Authenticity is not the strong suit here, and aside from a closing gallery of authors, there are no specific source notes.Still, starting with the lurid face peering through a die-cut hole in the front cover, this supplies an adequate number of chills. Grades 4-7. --John Peters

About the Author

DENISE DESPEYROUX was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and has a degree in philosophy. She is a playwright and theatre director with training in drama and performance. Denise Despeyroux lives in Spain. FERNANDO FALCONE was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied at the National School of Fine Arts Prilidiano Pueyrredon for six years. He uses several art techniques with pencil, oleos, watercolors, temperas, and combines it with digital editing. He is now working as an illustrator for many international publishers and advertising agencies.

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