Sasquatches, giant beavers and mysterious northern sightings aren’t just campfire stories for Interlake author John Warms — they’re the foundation of his newest children’s book, inspired by a real encounter in northern Manitoba.
Interlake-based author John Warms recently published his first children’s book, The Girl Who Met Sasquatch, earlier this summer.
John Warms is the author of Stranger Creatures Seldom Seen and The Girl Who Met Sasquatch, books that explore stories of Indigenous Peoples’ encounters with strange and unusual creatures
Warms, who grew up west of Carman, said his inspiration for becoming an author comes from the people he has met throughout his life. Now the author of three books, he continues to collect and share stories of strange encounters experienced by both himself and others he has crossed paths with.
“All of my books are people-driven,” Warms said. “You have to enjoy what you write about, and these unusual encounters have certainly piqued my interest.”
A retired teacher who spent years working in Indigenous communities in the northwest region of the Interlake, Warms said he occasionally heard stories about large, frightening and unknown creatures. Over time, he noticed these sightings were common in remote northern communities, while many people in southern Manitoba were largely unaware of them.
“My delight is to share what is somewhat secret and let it be known in other parts of Manitoba and other parts of the world,” he said.
Warms gathered stories from eyewitnesses describing extraordinarily large birds, bats, beavers, snakes, sasquatches and more. Before teaching in the north, he said he had not heard of many of these creatures, later describing the experience as “an absolute gold mine of little-known creatures,” and the sightings themselves as “phenomenal.”
Through word of mouth and storytelling, Warms collected account after account of these eerie encounters and compiled them into his second book, Stranger Creatures Seldom Seen. His newest children’s book expands on one of those accounts, telling the story of a young girl who encountered a sasquatch while camped beside a lake where her grandfather did commercial fishing.
The story follows five- or six-year-old Marlene, who, after flying to a remote location with her family, was tasked with periodically checking on her baby sister while her grandmother cleaned fish by the lake. On one particular trip to the hammock, Marlene noticed a terrible smell, looked up and found herself face to face with a sasquatch.
Although the encounter took place more than four decades ago, Warms said he has remained in contact with Marlene over the years not only to confirm details, but “also to enjoy the story again and again together.”
The 40-page picture book — illustrated by Warms’ granddaughter — invites readers into the day Marlene saw the sasquatch with her own eyes.
Warms said writing a children’s book proved more challenging than his previous work, as it required transforming a real-life account into a child-friendly story young readers could understand and enjoy. Still, he welcomed the challenge.
“I enjoy thinking and getting inside the person who is having the experience,” he said. “I like dramatizing the story from the clues that have been given to me, and then try to make it exciting for the reader.”
For Stranger Creatures Seldom Seen, Warms said he enjoyed putting on a “reporter’s hat,” gathering clues from across the province to determine what might be real and what might not.
“I got so many witnesses from the north, south and everywhere in between that it made sense to me their stories matched,” he said. “I report what I heard and give my conclusions and insights on these findings, like a comprehensive report.”
Warms said he appreciates the opportunity to showcase the wonders — and mysteries — of Manitoba, something he finds both challenging and intriguing. For him, the excitement lies in realizing what creatures may roam close to home and uncovering secrets that remain unexplained.
He has personally witnessed three unusual creatures mentioned in his books: a giant beaver, a giant snake and a platypus-like creature. His favourite sighting was a black bear–sized beaver he saw west of Brandon in the Assiniboine River.
Based on evidence shared by Elders, Warms believes these beavers lived in large burrows. He noted that one southern Manitoba farmer discovered a massive burrow without knowing what could have lived in it.
“That’s when things just clicked,” Warms said. “As soon as I learned they lived in burrows — which farmers, road construction workers and grave diggers have exposed — I realized which animal was capable of making such tunnels.”
His goal is to one day locate a burrow and place a camera inside to capture evidence. He also hopes to re-establish the giant beaver as the world’s largest living rodent — a title lost when the species was labelled extinct.
Of the creatures he has yet to encounter, Warms said he hopes to one day see a giant bat, a species believed to live in large caves. Firefighters who have been near these sites have reported large collections of bones, according to Warms. If he cannot see the bat itself, he hopes to locate one of the caves they once inhabited and search for signs of life.
“The residue may be of interest to biologists,” he added.
Warms is already planning his second children’s book, which will focus on another young girl who reportedly saw a sasquatch in the woods near Fairford.
All of Warms’ books are available on Amazon, with his two creature books also carried by Chapters and several small shops and art galleries throughout Manitoba, including Toews Printing in Carman.
