The Monster Book of Monsters is a book about magical creatures.
It is the required textbook for Care of Magical Creatures class in Harry Potter’s third year (PA1, PA4). Hagrid sends Harry a copy for his birthday, but he has to hold it shut with a belt as the book scuttles around like a crab and snaps at Harry as though it had jaws.
The manager at Flourish and Blotts vowed never to stock the book again after being bitten five times in one morning and having most of his stock of the books destroy each other (PA4).
During the first Care of Magical Creatures lesson, Hagrid was disappointed to find out that none of the students had discovered the secret to opening their books safely – stroking the spine (PA6).
Commentary
From the Web
Harry Potter Wiki: The Monster Book of Monsters