The woods are as just as deep, dark, and scary as they always have been: Meet the Snoligoster, which feeds on the shadows of its victims; the vengeful Cactus Cat, defender of desert plants; the wart-covered Squonk, which can dissolve in its own tears; and the lethal Hoop Snake, which can roll at speeds of up to 60 MPH. Twenty American folktales from William Thomas Cox's 1910 book by the same title for readers 9 to 14 are retold in this "wildly imaginative and delightfully macabre" (Booklist) collection by Hal Johnson, who frames the stories from the point of view of a scientist on the trail of these odd and usually dangerous monsters. Tom Mead contributes 75 detailed, stylish black and white illustrations, some of which actually glow in the dark.