While most often associated with fears and anxieties, monsters can also serve as entry points into other dimensions of the human experience, including playfulness and creativity. Together, the contributions to this special issue showcase some of the diverse ways that teaching with monsters can help learners of different ages and in different educational settings develop skills of close reading and critical analysis; navigate ontological uncertainty; and creatively reimagine the world we live in and our place within it.

Additionally, the same complexities that make the monstrous so pedagogically rich also present ethical considerations. The case studies, conversations, and frameworks that follow illustrate what must be considered when engaging monsters in educational practices.