Cam's Treasure

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

“Our first clue is monkeys, and pink ones at that! / Croc, where do
you think we’d find something like that? / Croc pointed his claw at a
big bunch of trees, / and Cam heard strange noises “ooh ooh and eeh
eeh.” / Yes, there were pink monkeys, all swinging from vines, / Croc
had found their first clue in such a short time! / Let’s follow those
monkeys, quick, on the double! / Perhaps they will lead us to the River
of Bubbles!”

The above is a sampling of this tale about a little boy named Cam who
enjoys playing pirate so much he has a dream where he and his stuffed
toy crocodile, “Croc,” find themselves on a ship on a quest for real
pirate treasure. During their quest, they encounter several whimsical
creatures ranging from a purple whale to a sarcastic snake. By following
an old pirate map Cam and Croc find their buried treasure, but it turns
out to be something quite different from the gold and gems they were
expecting.

The tale, told in rhyming verse, has a certain charm, occasionally
marred by amateurish rhymes (“An island that’s shaped like a dragon,
gosh gee! / Pink monkeys and bubbles, oh where can it be?”). The
rhymes are definitely helped by Mark Cromwell’s comical illustrations.
Recommended.