The Monster Lake

Four ducks get bored of their little pond. ‘Come on, we’re going to the lake!’ decides one of the four fearlessly. Erik walks at the back of the group and cautiously expresses his doubts. The lake? Doesn’t a terrible monster live there? Unimpressed by Erik’s objections, the group continues undaunted, off on an adventure. Those are only fables; there’s nothing under the water except for some fish and some frogs – perfectly normal creatures that aren’t the slightest bit frightening. Erik has no choice but to trust the group. After taking a dive under water, however, he makes a startling discovery: ‘MONSTER!’. The little group in front of Erik doesn’t believe him and calmly swims on towards the far bank. He mustn’t be so pathetic. After that, Erik’s wonderful underwater adventure begins and he has the time of his life. But the group? They gradually start to fear that maybe there is a creepy creature swimming underneath them after all.

In ‘The Monster Lake’, Leo Timmers demonstrates once again what makes him unique as an illustrator. With his familiar humorous undertone, animal characters that almost jump off the page, and surprising devices for building the tension, Timmers succeeds in portraying themes such as group pressure, self-confidence and how to overcome fear in ways children will find irresistible. With a detailed fold-out page almost a metre wide, you don’t know where to look first in the underwater world of ‘The Monster Lake’. Brave duck Erik is bound to win the hearts of young and old alike.