The Night Walker

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.

A young Aboriginal boy wanders through the forest gathering small
treasures and putting them in his leather belt pouch. He finds a smooth
green rock, a small piece of wood that looks like a man running, three
coins, a nail, an eagle feather, and a few dried leaves from a
sweet-breath bush. The boy is so engrossed in foraging that he fails to
notice that it’s become late and he’s a long way into the forest. As
he walks home in the twilight, he hears a clinking, clicking rustling
sound close by. At first the boy thinks he is merely being followed by a
fox, a bear, or even a panther, but as the darkness closes in, his fears
grow. “It is the Night Walker!” the boy concludes, and he begins to
run. The faster he runs, the louder the noise becomes.

This beautifully written book has only one weakness: its “surprise”
ending is fairly easy to spot long before the moment of revelation
arrives. As long as the reader does not guess that the rustling noises
are being caused by the objects in the boy’s leather pouch, the
suspense builds very well. The story ends on a philosophical note: we
spend our days collecting things that may become the monsters that chase
us in the dark. Martin Springett’s imaginative illustrations have a
style reminiscent of Northwest Coastal art. All the imaginary characters
are depicted as very large and mysterious, which helps build the
story’s suspense. Highly recommended.