Sure to satisfy this gumshoe’s many fans.
Once again, Cluehound’s sweet treats (temporarily) vanish before our hero can enjoy them.
The third entry in the Stop That! series sees bumbling Inspector Cluehound again in holiday hot pursuit. This time the thief is the Easter Bunny, who has nabbed the clueless inspector’s very special parade-ready Easter basket, chock-full of goodies. Under blue skies, the detective and Sergeant Squirrel mount a pink tandem bike. The chase takes them through a flower stall, a topiary-adorned garden, a carrot patch, and finally a festival, where a bouncy house lets Bunny “eggscape” into the ether. Along the way, as Bunny hides, Cluehound is distracted by some decorated eggs (easy for youngsters to spot); then Bunny becomes a scarecrow and is concealed in a wheelbarrow brimming with carrots. Cluehound focuses on duck tracks leading to a pond, where the ducks are floating in plain sight, while we (and Sergeant Squirrel, vainly trying to attract the boss’s attention) see the actual prints left behind by the bunny scampering out of sight over the hill. Accessible to independent readers, the book’s rhyming couplets bounce along just like the energetic rabbit does. Youngsters will enjoy the bright spring-colors pastel art and beating Cluehound at the detecting game, with the inevitable sweet, happy ending: a basket much more elaborately decorated than the original one, and overflowing with extra treats.
Sure to satisfy this gumshoe’s many fans. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9781664300811
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sure to assuage the fears of all astronauts bound for similar missions.
A genius way to ease kids into the new adventure that is kindergarten.
In an imaginative ruse that’s maintained through the whole book, a young astronaut prepares for his mission to Planet Kindergarten. On liftoff day (a space shuttle–themed calendar counts down the days; a stopwatch, the minutes), the small family boards their rocket ship (depicted in the illustrations as the family car), and “the boosters fire.” They orbit base camp while looking for a docking place. “I am assigned to my commander, capsule, and crewmates.” Though he’s afraid, he stands tall and is brave (not just once, either—the escape hatch beckons, but NASA’s saying gets him through: “FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION”). Parents will certainly chuckle along with this one, but kindergarten teachers’ stomach muscles will ache: “[G]ravity works differently here. We have to try hard to stay in our seats. And our hands go up a lot.” Prigmore’s digital illustrations are the perfect complement to the tongue-in-cheek text. Bold colors, sharp lines and a retro-space style play up the theme. The intrepid explorer’s crewmates are a motley assortment of “aliens”—among them are a kid in a hoodie with the laces pulled so tight that only a nose and mouth are visible; a plump kid with a bluish cast to his skin; and a pinkish girl with a toothpick-thin neck and huge bug eyes.
Sure to assuage the fears of all astronauts bound for similar missions. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 20, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1893-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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