Cass and the Beast 
Claire Mabey  Jill Calder  

                                                                             

                                                                        

Cass and the Beast
Claire Mabey (2026)
Ill. Jill Calder
Picture book, 32 pages
Hardback
ISBN 979 8 348037 7

 

‘The Townsfolk had given it a name: Beast.’

This handsome picture book has a dramatic opening scene, with alarmed people looking at huge paw-prints at the edge of the forest. They are frightened of the beast and see it as a danger. Young Cass ‘who was hardly ever scared’ thinks differently.

In telling the story of Cass’s encounter with the beast, Claire Mabey uses words with power and confidence. ‘The beast ran like thunder. It devoured the ground.’

Unlike many story characters in this situation, Cass takes the initiative. She goes out into the forest offering food to the beast, ‘with nothing but her thin winter coat and a scrap of bread.’

The creature’s response is abrupt: ‘Mouth, teeth and tongue roared foul and fierce.’

Undaunted, Cass continues her offer of food and the beast takes it ‘with precise lips.’

Then, taking the collar of Cass’s coat into its mouth, the beast hoists her onto its back.

 ‘Run,” says Cass, burrowing her hands into thick, warm fur, ‘made of all the light and all the dark of the world together.’ What follows is a fantastic journey through night and day. (We also discover the beast’s food of choice which may alarm the squeamish.) Cass makes a dramatic return to the town, capturing the attention of the townsfolk, as she farewells the beast, kissing its snout without fear of its teeth.

The stage is set for the charming revelation in the final pages of the book.

 

Jill Calder’s beautiful illustrations form a crucial part of this story. Her dramatic pictures embody the spirit of the tale on every page.

When Cass muses that ‘it was people who frightened her, not beasts,’ the accompanying double-page illustration shows a mass of faces; all people talking about the danger that they feel is posed by the beast. Each face is a portrait of fright, anger and anxiety.  Eyes show fear. Mouths are passing on their alarm. The clamorous scene has only one face that is at ease, almost smiling, and it is Cass’s dog. This is picture book illustration at its highest level.

Jill Calder gives visual hints of the beast throughout the story. The readers can see massive teeth and thick fur but the creature’s true identity is not revealed until the wonderful final pages. (No spoilers here.)

Cass and the Beast is a beautifully presented and original interaction of Claire Mabey’s story and Jill Calder’s pictures, creating a modern fable. The designer is Vida Kelly

 

Trevor Agnew

12 July 2026  [Review 3849]

NOTE: In July 2026 Claire Mabey was awarded the 2026 Lynley Dodd Children's Writers Award of $30,000 for her contributions to children's literature in Aotearoa New Zealand.