What About the Creek Walker Monster?

Are monsters real? Or are they an urban myth? One little boy, Daniel learns about a creepy and scary monster called the Creek Walker Monster who lives in the creek behind his home. Petrified and curious, Daniel runs home and tells his Dad everything he has heard about the monster through his best friend Lucas. This one-eyed monster is loud and feasts on vehicles, particularly cars and bicycles. The stinky Creek Walker Monster is thunderous when he walks and only appears when there is no sight of the moon. The father and son duo work together to uncover the mystery of such an unusual monster. Does the Creek Walker Monster actually exist? Or did someone make it up? This is a simple story geared towards young children about hearsay, a father/son relationship, and friendship. This book focuses on the relationship between a devoted father and son. I appreciate how the Dad didn’t immediately dismiss Daniel’s accounts of the Creek Walker Monster. Instead, they went to the library to do some research and to see if they can uncover any information about the monster.

The art is bright and calming but simple. There was a page or two of the art that felt a little disjointed to me. For instance, when Daniel and his Dad were in the kitchen with Spot. Then immediately in the next scene, they were outside putting a box into the car trunk. The stories in those scenes flowed well, but the art could have used another page to connect the two scenes making it less confusing.

The book reminded me of a simple time when children were happy. A time where children would play outside in their backyard or in a creek, making up stories to tell their friends. Maybe this book will provide some nostalgia to parents and some comfort to children. I liked how Daniel and Lucas took control of the story and made the Creek Walker Monster be peaceful, kind, and thoughtful.

I was really surprised to see the family dog, Spot, with a prosthetic leg. I’ve read many children’s picture books, but I’ve never seen a three-legged dog represented in any children’s picture books that I’ve read. When I read the Author Note in the back, I loved learning how Spot was modeled after Nancy Myers and her own four-legged, three-pawed dog. Children who are monster enthusiasts will enjoy reading about this simple tale about a kind monster who picks up trash (that’s my kind of monster!).