A beautiful combination of children’s literature and private-eye adventures.
In Boock’s illustrated children’s series starter, set in the world of Mother Goose, there’s always a nursery crime to be solved.
Detective cats Clawed McDiddle and his partner, Allie O’Dumpling, investigate the case of a missing pig in this charming spin on Mother Goose nursery rhymes. The piggy in question is the daughter of Mr. Swine, the cleverest of the original three little pigs, who lives with his family in a brick house. The Swines share the ransom letter with Clawed and Allie, but it’s written in Pig Latin, which they don’t understand. Luckily, one of the missing pig’s twin brothers is second-best in his Pig Latin class, and he translates the note for the detectives: The “piggynapper” demands a bag of pennies to be left at the town fair. As the team works the case, they send clues back to Dr. Licken, a forensic chicken scientist (and mother of the late Humpty Dumpty), for analysis. Clawed and Allie’s inquiries lead them through the little piggy’s day; their last stop is the fair, where they figure out the culprit’s identity. The voice of Clawed, which uses the vernacular of a seasoned private eye, makes the book a delight to read: “ ‘Don’t worry, Mrs. Swine. We’ll save your bacon,’ I promised.” Kuriakose’s cartoon illustrations in shades of green add sufficient detail to the detective story without overpowering the text. For children who know their nursery rhymes and classic fairy tales, the references to familiar characters will be exciting and enchanting. This simple work may serve well as a child’s first chapter book, and the coziness and mystery elements are likely to make it an enduring favorite.
A beautiful combination of children’s literature and private-eye adventures.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Manuscript
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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BOOK REVIEW
Charming.
An assortment of unusual characters form friendships and help each other become their best selves.
Mr. and Mrs. Tupper, who live at Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, are antiquarians. Their daughter, Jillian, loves and cares for a plant named Ivy, who has “three speckles on each leaf and three letters in her name.” Toasty, the grumpy goldfish, lives in an octagonal tank and wishes he were Jillian’s favorite; when Arthur the spider arrives inside an antique desk, he brings wisdom and insight. Ollie the violet plant, Louise the bee, and Sunny the canary each arrive with their own quirks and problems to solve. Each character has a distinct personality and perspective; sometimes they clash, but more often they learn to empathize, see each other’s points of view, and work to help one another. They also help the Tupper family with bills and a burglar. The Fan brothers’ soft-edged, old-fashioned, black-and-white illustrations depict Toasty and Arthur with tiny hats; Ivy and Ollie have facial expressions on their plant pots. The Tuppers have paper-white skin and dark hair. The story comes together like a recipe: Simple ingredients combine, transform, and rise into something wonderful. In its matter-of-fact wisdom, rich vocabulary (often defined within the text), hint of magic, and empathetic nonhuman characters who solve problems in creative ways, this delightful work is reminiscent of Ferris by Kate DiCamillo, Our Friend Hedgehog by Lauren Castillo, and Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord and Stephanie Graegin.
Charming. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781665942485
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Lively fun with animal friends.
Has Plum’s pep deserted him?
Several animals from the Athensville Zoo are on their way to visit an elementary school. Overconfident Itch the ningbing (an Australian marsupial), unaware that zookeeper Lizzie will be doing all the talking, looks forward to “lecturing eager young minds.” Plum, the usually chipper peacock, on the other hand, is anxious—maybe the schoolchildren won’t like him or he’ll get lost. So when they arrive at the school to find the students have been sent home due to a blizzard, Plum is relieved. The animals are left in a school gym for the night until three self-important class mice free them. Itch heads for the library to meet the learned turtle, but Plum reluctantly explores with his friends. When his anxiety peaks, they reassure him, and when the mice reject Meg, another peacock, as “borrrring” and uncool, they buoy her as well before everyone comes together to save Itch, who finds himself outside and stranded in a snowdrift. Unlike Leave It to Plum (2022), this is not a mystery, and the relationship focus shifts from Lizzie to the rodents, but the pace is brisk, and sequel seekers will be pleased to revisit familiar characters (if dismayed that Itch’s longing for knowledge leads to his downfall). In Phelan’s engaging grayscale pen-and-wash illustrations, Lizzie has short curly hair; text and art cue her as Latine.
Lively fun with animal friends. (how to draw Plum) (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-307920-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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BOOK REVIEW
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