This is a story about a little duck named Eric who gets invited to the lake by his friends. The lake that he's heard has a monster! He begrudgingly follows his friends to the lake, worrying the whole way. Does Eric find a monster? Are they the most fun, silly and fabulous monster ever? Maybe. Or maybe the monster in the lake is "just a story". This is a great little story for your young kids that teaches them that getting out of their comfort zone, and facing their fears might just end up being a real fun time. Thank you to the author, Leo Timmers and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Kids will love this book! Four ducks go to the lake, but Eric says I heard there was a monster and the other ducks say that was just a story. The three go in the lake, but Eric waits. Then Eric sees a “monster” who’s smiling and decides to go down below where they have fun. When Eric comes the other ducks wondered what happened to Eric, and ask did a monster get you? . Eric answers no, it’s just a story. What a great book about confidence.
Thank you to the publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

We really liked this one. I thought it was fun and the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous. This is one we will definitely be adding to our library

I think I might have missed something. I don't really understand the point of this book... Maybe it would be better as a physical book, but I went back through it a few times and really struggled to find the point/underlying meaning. Could it be about facing your fears? Sure. Could it be about acceptance? I suppose. I just really didn't understand it and I struggle to see how children would too. The illustrations are beautiful though! Thank you, NetGalley!

ARC Review:
The Monster in the Lake is the perfect classroom book to read! It is a mix of fun and silly. This book contains vibrant images and easy to understand words for kids of most ages. I can’t wait to read this story with my students!

The story follows four little ducks who are tired of their tiny little pond and set out on adventure. They're going to the lake! The BIG lake. But our main character (or main duck, rather), Eric, isn't so sure about this lake. He has heard there is a monster in the lake. He decides to tag along anyway, even though he is nervous. But, he discovers there really is something in the lake after all. Is the monster real? Are Eric and his friends safe?

The illustrations are very fun and eye catching for young readers! This picture book has a cute little lesson behind it, or at least this is how I interpreted it: don't judge a book by it's cover. Just because someone or something appears different from you, that doesn't make them scary or bad, necessarily. Sometimes, you need to get to know someone! I hope that makes sense without giving too much away or spoiling before the whole book is available to everyone!

The Monster in the Lake is a charming children's picture book with colorful illustrations and delightful dialogue. When one duck becomes convinced that a monster lurks in the lake, the other ducks refuse to believe him. The deep lesson hidden within this book is to help young readers face challenges and obstacles and learn to overcome them. Perhaps we all can think of a monster we must eventually cross paths with-- although soon we discover that the monster is as friendly as the one in this book!

What a cute and funny book this is! I think children will get a kick out of it and I hope they see the underlying message of facing their fears! I can't wait for this to be released so I can read this with my nanny kid! She's going to love it!

I love the illustrations and the premise of this book. My little one loves it too. Cute and fun read.

The illustrations are the winner here by far. Although the story is simple, kids will love knowing something that the ducks don’t and won’t be able to resist the party that is taking place under the water. Great for beginning readers.

This is a super cute and beautifully illustrated story. I love the depth of the drawings—lots going on beneath the surface.

I think this will come off better as a physical book, rather than digital. It lost a little something reading it on my computer and only getting one page at a time. However, the art is very well done and the story is cute. My 5 year old would like this book.

This book was so fun to read, and the idea was so clever! The main thing that I liked about this book was that it was written only using dialogue and visuals. This was something different that you don't see super often, and it really added to the uniqueness of this book, giving it a fresh feel. Additionally, I think that this writing style helps readers stay more engaged and invested in the story, more so than if it was written like a traditional book.
As I mentioned earlier, the author's idea was very cool! What's even better is the way the illustrator depicted the monster in the lake, using bright colors, silly shapes, and a lot of imagination.
Awesome book! I know for certain that many kids will enjoy this story.

The illustrations are amazing, I loved them, but I’m not sure what the point of this book is, or what it’s trying to say. I don’t understand why the duck yells “monster” to warn his friends, then lies about the monster existing at the end. To keep up the old story about the lake? It really makes no sense. But the illustrations are beautiful.

Very cute book about a duck who is sure there is a monster in the lake. Though his friends don't believe him and keep swimming ahead, he discovers the magic of what's hiding beneath the water. Thank you NetGalley for this fun early read!

Filled with adorable illustrations that are chock full of character a-la Oliver Jeffers, this book was an immediate hit with my 6 year old. It's concise, funny, leaves enough to the imagination, and the illustrations are 10/10. Thank you to NetGalley, Lerner Publishing Group, and Gecko Press for the opportunity to review!

I loved the illustrations, but would have liked the story to have a bit more to it. (Maybe the duck actually interacting with the monsters or something?) it just feels like it's missing something.

Super cute!
I really liked the illustrations and the edge to edge covering
Little duck is so brave

What a fun to watch Eric and his duck friends explore being brave to see if there is really a monster in the lake. This book was such a fun read and the bright and vibrant illustrations really brought the pages to life. Thank you #netgalley for the ARC of #TheMonsterintheLake from #LeoTimmers.

Overall: 4 🌟
Illustrations: 5🖌️

"Mom's" Review:
Pretty cute, but would have loved to see MORE of the monsters - maybe multiple times the duck "cries wolf", so to speak, each time being unique compared to the others.

Adored the illustrations!

A BIG thank you to Leo Timmer, Lerner Publishing Group, Gecko Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this delightful, short, fun book!
All opinions are our own.

(Full family review to come!)