Monsters in Legends and in Real Life - Level 1 reading for kids - 1st grade

This is a Level 1 Reader book: 2-4 simple sentences per page, kindergarten - 1st grade vocabulary, large type, lots of colorful pictures on every page.
Old legends tell us about the griffin, sphynx, basilisk, kraken and other monsters. Are these half-lions and half-eagles, half-roosters and half-dragons scary... or funny? How did people of old times imagine a seahorse, or a sea lion?
Are there real monsters?
We'll meet a few real-life monsters, from the giant squid, huge saltwater crocodiles, and ever-hungry barracuda to some of the most venomous creatures on Earth that happen to be small - lionfish, sea snake, and cone snail.
Not every monster is huge! I would rather run into a giant squid than a cone snail!