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
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
A handsome edition of an old favorite.
The familiar cumulative game is played by four children, along with their father and their dog, at the typically British beach pictured on the lovely, expansive first endpaper.
The children's real activities are shown in b&w drawings; the imaginative doings appear in full color. Although some of the color pages show perfectly possible events, most are clearly fantasy, suggesting just how close the two may be in children's minds. The family ends up in safe retreat in one big cozy bed; the bear is seen--on the second essential, beautiful endpaper--headed into a gloomy sea. Oxenbury's splendid watercolors and drawings perfectly evoke both landscape and the members of the questing family.
A handsome edition of an old favorite. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1989
ISBN: 978-0-689-50476-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: June 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1989
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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