The Monster in the Lake

Eric, a cautious mallard, resists joining three duck friends for a lake paddle. The bird has heard there’s a monster lurking in the waters, and he hangs back even when the pals offer blithe reassurance—“Trust us!” But readers, who can see both above and below the lake’s waterline, will note that the murky, bubbly green depths—rendered in a mélange of acrylic paint and aerosol spray—indeed reveal a large bona fide monster with horns, yellow stalk eyes, and a heap of big white teeth. Is Eric a sitting duck? Hardly: The nattily accessorized behemoth tips a red top hat to Eric and escorts the bird deep beneath the surface to a city flourishing on the lake bed. In a spectacular double gatefold, Timmers (Bear’s Lost Glasses) reveals this hopping metropolis with his signature maximalist flair—it’s bursting with monsters of every shape, color, fashion sense, and eyeball count. Eric takes to the setting like, well, a duck to water, and when he surfaces, he’s a considerably more confident bird. Children who get their hands on this oversize, glossy delight, filled with made-to-linger details, will be lucky ducks indeed. Ages 4–6. (Sept.)