A quirky, enjoyable monster tale for curious, creative youngsters.
A boy discovers a scary creature is not real in this picture book.
Daniel, a White, dark-haired boy, tells his father about the Creek Walker Monster, who supposedly “lives in the creek behind our house.” The boy explains that his friends told him about the giant, smelly, frightening creature who “comes out on dark, cloudy, windy nights when there’s no moon out.” But he admits that his pals haven’t actually encountered the monster; they are reiterating stories they have heard. Daniel’s dad suggests a visit to the library to learn more. There, the librarian remarks that Daniel isn’t the first to inquire about the beast. In the stacks, Daniel encounters his friend Lucas, a dark-skinned boy who is also interested in the creature. Lucas tells Daniel: “The Creek Walker Monster is just make-believe. He’s not real and he can’t hurt anyone. He’s what you call a fictional character and only lives in stories.” Daniel is relieved. He proposes they “make up our own…story” with a creature who is “friendly…helps keep the creek clean, and wears a big smile.” Readers will relate to Daniel’s inquisitive nature. Emphasizing local lore, monster tales, and oral storytelling, Myers deftly portrays a common childhood experience. The uncredited, graphic like illustrations offer simple but effective depictions. Figments of Daniel’s imagination—mainly concerning the creature—are often shown. The monster appears as a shaggy, gigantic green beast with one eye who lurks in the creek and gobbles bicycles and more.
A quirky, enjoyable monster tale for curious, creative youngsters.Pub Date: March 22, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-66-242174-7
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Disconcerting and possibly deadly dealings are afoot; certain to charm younger fans of the macabre.
In the latest installment of the delightfully disturbing chapter-book series, the mundane once more takes on supernatural qualities, this time in the form of veggies.
With this follow-up to Troubling Tonsils! (2025), our host, Jasper Rabbit, once more channels Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling. As Jasper narrates, we meet our heroes: fourth graders Thaddeus Badger and Oliver Possum, who love nothing more than eating junk food, particularly the hamburgers at Hurt-A-Burger (a mildly brilliant corporate name on the author’s part). When Oliver’s parents trick the two into a dinner of salads at their favorite fast-food joint, Thaddeus feels betrayed, but Oliver experiences something a little more dire. Soon after, Oliver starts acting strangely, and his parents begin behaving even more oddly. What’s going on? And does it have anything to do with the full moon? Tone is the true star of the show in this series; the mystery unspools thanks to the buildup of unnerving moments. Reynolds combines suspense with a keen ability to artistically frame both sunny innocent sequences and those rich with dark foreboding. Notably, this is no morality tale about eating your vegetables—this tale is fully on the side of its child readers. Brown’s black-and-white images, punctuated with eerie pops of green, heighten both horrifying and comedic moments.
Disconcerting and possibly deadly dealings are afoot; certain to charm younger fans of the macabre. (Chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781665961110
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda.
Hank Zipzer, poster boy for dyslexic middle graders everywhere, stars in a new prequel series highlighting second-grade trials and triumphs.
Hank’s hopes of playing Aqua Fly, a comic-book character, in the upcoming class play founder when, despite plenty of coaching and preparation, he freezes up during tryouts. He is not particularly comforted when his sympathetic teacher adds a nonspeaking role as a bookmark to the play just for him. Following the pattern laid down in his previous appearances as an older child, he gets plenty of help and support from understanding friends (including Ashley Wong, a new apartment-house neighbor). He even manages to turn lemons into lemonade with a quick bit of improv when Nick “the Tick” McKelty, the sneering classmate who took his preferred role, blanks on his lines during the performance. As the aforementioned bully not only chokes in the clutch and gets a demeaning nickname, but is fat, boastful and eats like a pig, the authors’ sensitivity is rather one-sided. Still, Hank has a winning way of bouncing back from adversity, and like the frequent black-and-white line-and-wash drawings, the typeface is designed with easy legibility in mind.
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-448-48239-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
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