Mischievous Ntombi, the Chief's daughter, isn't at all afraid of the fearsome Ilunge River. But when she goes to swim there, she enrages the Mother of Monsters and causes more trouble than she could’ve imagined! Can Ntombi survive the monster’s gigantic head, bulging eyes and thick, slimy scales?

Mischievous Ntombi, the Chief's daughter, isn't at all afraid of the fearsome Ilunge River. But when she goes to swim there, she enrages the Mother of Monsters and causes more trouble than she could've imagined! Can Ntombi survive the monster's gigantic head, bulging eyes and thick, slimy scales?

A fresh cultural analysis of female monsters from Greek mythology, and an invitation for all women to reclaim these stories as inspiration for a more wild, more “monstrous” version of feminism The folklore that has shaped our dominant culture teems with frightening female creatures. In our language, in our stories (many written by men), we underline the idea that women who step out of bounds—who are angry or greedy or ambitious, who are overtly sexual or not sexy enough—aren’t just outside the norm. They’re unnatural. Monstrous. But maybe, the traits we’ve been told make us dangerous and undesirable are actually our greatest strengths. Through fresh analysis of 11 female monsters, including Medusa, the Harpies, the Furies, and the Sphinx, Jess Zimmerman takes us on an illuminating feminist journey through mythology. She guides women (and others) to reexamine their relationships with traits like hunger, anger, ugliness, and ambition, teaching readers to embrace a new image of the female hero: one that looks a lot like a monster, with the agency and power to match. Often, women try to avoid the feeling of monstrousness, of being grotesquely alien, by tamping down those qualities that we’re told fall outside the bounds of natural femininity. But monsters also get to do what other female characters—damsels, love interests, and even most heroines—do not. Monsters get to be complete, unrestrained, and larger than life. Today, women are becoming increasingly aware of the ways rules and socially constructed expectations have diminished us. After seeing where compliance gets us—harassed, shut out, and ruled by predators—women have never been more ready to become repellent, fearsome, and ravenous.

In this award-winning debut collection, fifteen magical realism stories portray girls and women searching for an escape from their everyday lives. “In villages where women bore most of the weight of a constricted life, witches flew by night on broomsticks,” said Italo Calvino of the way imagination bridges the gap between everyday existence and an idealized alternative . . . The fifteen stories of Animal Wife are unified by girls and women who cross this threshold seeking liberation from family responsibilities, from societal expectations, from their own minds. A girl born with feathers undertakes a quest for the mother who abandoned her. An indecisive woman drinks Foresight, only to become stymied by the futures branching before her. A proofreader cultivates a cage-fighting alter ego. A woman becomes psychologically trapped in her car. A girl acts on her desire for a childhood friend as a monster draws closer to the shore. A widow invites a bear to hibernate in her den . . . Animal Wife was selected as the winner of the Red Hen Fiction Award by New York Times– bestselling author Ann Hood, who says, “From the first sentence Animal Wife grabbed me and never let go. Sensual and intelligent, with gorgeous prose, it made me dizzy with its exploration and illumination of the inner and outer lives of girls and women.” Praise for Animal Wife “Whimsy and fantasy meet the way things really turn out in stories from a strong new voice.” —Kirkus Reviews “Strange, funny, fearsome, Animal Wife is a gorgeous book, weird in its very bones.” —Elizabeth McCracken, author of Bowlaway: A Novel “Lara Ehrlich has written a collection of stories that allow for escapism.” —F(r)iction “I was particularly intrigued by the way Lara beautifully portrays the inner struggle between wildness and domesticity, the surreal elements of each story lending a mythical complexity to these conflicts. Really lovely and thought-provoking. Perfect for fans of Aimee Bender, Karen Russell, and Angela Carter.” —Joy Baglio, founder of Pioneer Valley Writer’s Workshop

Shielded by his mother and sisters from his father’s obsessive construction of a haunted house attraction, young Noah considers an ultimate sacrifice when he chooses to acknowledge a monster that his family members have tried to ignore.

Hina's mother Rona Long-Teeth takes good care of her. But when the moon is full, Rona eats the juiciest-looking humans she can find. When Hina learns the truth, she teams up with her neighbour Monoi to stop her monster mother's people-eating ways. AGES: 6+ AUTHOR: Fran Parnell graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic studies. Fran has worked as an editor on both children's books and travel guides. She has also written the other titles in the Monster Stories series. Fran lives in Yorkshire, UK. Sophie Fatus is a full-time illustrator and sculptress who studied at the prestigious Academy of Fine Art in Paris. Her brightly coloured illustrations have graced the pages of many Barefoot Books titles including the four previous titles in the Monster Stories series, IF YOU'RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT!, and THE STORY TREE. Sophie lives in Florence, Italy. ILLUSTRATIONS: Colour illustrations