This was so damn adorable. A fun, quick story with beautiful artwork. A great Christmas addition to anyone who wants something not so traditional or enjoys cryptids. Told in the tune of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, but with a great twist.

Thank you to Netgalley, 8th Circle Press & Andrew Shaffer for the opportunity to read this.

How much do I love this book? Let me count the ways....1) Adorable illustrations 2) Holiday fun 3) Great info on local cryptids 4) super fun way to present information 5)I might have giggled a bit.

Super cute for a home collection or a public library!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Mothman the Red-Eyed Cryptid
5 stars for an adorably cryptic children’s intro to cryptids (have fun saying that sentence five times fast).
Everyone needs a holiday, and this year Rudolph trades in his winter gear for a well-earned sunny getaway.
But, Santa Claus can hardly be expected to deliver all those presents without a trusty, fluffy, naturally well-lit guide for his sleigh! Enter Mothman, with eyes so bright, a friendly cryptid to guide the sleigh tonight 🖤👀👹
A cheery color palette and cute story for horror-lovers of all ages seeking a unique Christmas tale. I hope the author creates further Mothman escapades or an anthology of assorted cryptids’ adventures in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
#MothmansMerryCryptidChristmas

A Mothman version of the song Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. This book is meant for children, but if you're interested in Mothman, you'll enjoy this book no matter how old you are. This is a super cute and short story perfect for the holiday season.

This was super cute and I love the idea of cryptids and children's books together.

Whether or not it was to the tune of Rudople the Red-Nosed Reindeer ;), it was good either way and I can't wait to see more books like this.

5/5 ⭐

My Cryptid loving heart can't handle how adorable this story is!! I feel like Andrew brought a little bit of Halloween in this inspirational Christmas tale. I loved the illustrations, especially the diverse Santa and the tubing Rudolph, they were all so cute and perfect. This will be a Christmas classic in our house for sure!

This was SO CUTE!! I adored it so much, and I would love to look up and see Mothman pulling Santa’s Sleigh! Absolute 10/10

I absolutely loved this book. It was so much fun. The story was cute, the illustrations were charming, and there was even a section giving the real history behind cryptids. As someone who loves horror, and loves Christmas, and really really loves Christmas horror, I can't recommend this enough. I can't recommend this enough as a fun little read or a gift for a like-minded friend. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read it!

I love a good mothman story and this one is so perfect for kids and Christmas! The usual underdog story of being misrepresented, taking a chance, and proving you're more than you seem is given the cryptid twist in this Rudolph retelling. Mothman's Merry Cryptid Christmas is the perfect new title for your holiday book collection.

Mothman’s Merry Cryptid Christmas by Andrew Shaffer is the perfect holiday book for horror fans that want to introduce their youngsters to the genre. The story is a retelling of the classic Rudolph story, but in this book Mothman is trying to prove himself to the townsfolk. When Santa invites Mothman to guide his sleigh with his “eyes so bright”, everything changes for Mothman!

This book is a fun take on an old classic. Make sure to read the Q and As at the back…they’re an extra fun tidbit that adults can enjoy with the children they’re reading with.

Thank you to @netgalley and @8thcirclepress for the opportunity to review this title.

This was cute!

Did I find myself trying to read along to the tune of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? Why yes, yes I did.

The illustrations were great, the storyline (song line??) was fabulous, and the idea was original.

I'd definitely buy this for someone!

It was love at first sentence for me.

“Being a parody of “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” (but don’t try to sing it to that tune, because it doesn’t exactly follow the rhyme scheme and also that’s a copyrighted song, maybe make up your own melody as I’m sure your kid won’t know the difference, unless you're tone-deaf, then I guess you could read it in a regular voice like any other picture book and forget the whole sing-songy bit?).

It’s giving The Stinky Cheese Man vibes. Need I say more?

Such a lovely read! Very easy to understand, funny, and not too spooky for little kids.

It’s good for children to have a outlet for their spooky feelings and also to learn about what’s real and what’s not and what they want to believe!

The art style is so cute and I loved the inclusivity of it (Santa was a person of colour) as well as being colourful but also a bit edgy.

I liked they included a guide for teachers, parents, and librarians, as this kind of literature is a bit out there and new and many may feel uncomfortable with it! Even though there’s no need to be!

Interesting parody for a Christmas story! I would definitely recommend this book for a kid more in love with insects than furry animals. Mothman replaces Rudolph.

I received a complimentary copy to peruse and offer an opinion. Cute read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrew Shaffer for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I do not recall the last time I read a children's story, but when I did, I wish they were all like this. I can imagine parents reading this to their children at the end of the night, delighting their children with adorable illustrations and well-written dialogues.

Stories are a way to share knowledge and inspire creativity. And what better way to teach children local legends and inspire their imagination, than taking a beloved Christmas character and creating an involving and inspiring story with a cryptid creature and flipping the legend on its head as a way to provide important life lessons,

I would strongly recommend this book to children - and any adults who wish to return to a simpler time and read something that just brings joy, makes you laugh, and feels like a hug all at the same time. You will certainly not regret it!

I loved this funny little Christmas book. With the same inspiring story as a certain reindeer who I won't name, the book was short and sweet but humour thrown in there too. The illustrations were cute too, mostly bright and colourful but of course there has to be the odd dark Mothman page. Definitely a great read for the kids this Christmas.

This was the cutest book I have read all year. I love this book. I need this book. Every library and school needs this book. IT will be an awesome read-aloud. I am so excited to see some love for Mothman.

This is my new favorite Christmas book. I love the spooky twist on a Christmas classic to pull in my babies who love chaos. The illustrations are so cute and the story was the perfect parody of a classic. Can’t wait till December to share it with my kiddos.

While similar to other crooked tales, I was a bit torn on this one. My son loved the book with the illustrations and comparing to Rudolph the red nose reindeer, however, my daughter was a bit more hesitant, visually speaking.
I really wanted to like this book too, but I think as I was not a super fan of the visiuals for a kids book, that is where I felt the opportunity was.
Thank you for providing me the opportunity to review this book prior to publication. I am appreciative and leave my sincerity review voluntarily.

📱E-Book Review📱

Mothman's Merry Cryptid Christmas
Andrew Shaffer

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I know my kiddies have all grown up, but I have such a love of the time when I used to read them books and some of them were/are amazing to read - like this one!!

(Plus - I'm obsessed with the Christmas season and all things a little different and unique!)

This is described as a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer song parady - and it was amazing!

I loved the rhymes which made this one flow off the tongue as I read aloud - yes! I still read it aloud even though my child listening is 24! 🤣

I loved the character of mothman - having a son who is obsessed with all the cryptids, drew me to this one immediately.

The illustrations are perfectly dark and creepy looking when needed and humorous when not.

The story was funny and cute!


I loved this and would definitely recommend having it on every bookshelf or poping it in the Christmas eve box this year! (Ooh, maybe naughty elf on the shelf could gift it!? 🤔)



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕