This waggish travelogue, bright in nail-polish colors, deftly combines real and imaginary locales. Nine-year-old Zoe Sophia tells of her apartment building on 86th St., taking the city bus to the Wildendorf School for the Exceptionally Curious and ballet class, while waiting for her great aunt, Dorothy Pomander the writer, to arrive from Venice. Not only is D.P. giving a reading, but she’s on the trail of a lost book. She and Zoe Sophia view the Pink Phoenix scarab at the Met and find phoenix references everywhere, even at the New York Public Library—as well as Lincoln Center, Pearl Paint on Canal Street, then a mysterious Prince Street bookshop called the Phoenix, where Zoe Sophia finds the lost title. The Exotic Travel Diary of Violet Pilfer-Snodges 1863-65 even shows the adventurer wearing the pink scarab. A last look from the top of the Empire State building and D.P. is sure that something magnificent will rise from the Twin Towers site, just like the phoenix. Stray foreign phrases and rich local lore add to the outing’s great charm. (Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-8118-4877-9
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
Put Detective Gordon’s stamp on it: KLA-DUNK! Another winner.
Something’s amiss in Detective Gordon’s forested police district.
Detective Gordon, a toad, wakes to find the morning cake tin, the afternoon cake tin, and the evening cake tin all missing. Oh no! Luckily Police Assistant Buffy, a mouse, saw Gordon walk in his sleep and take the tins outside. That case is solved easily enough, but another looms: everyone in the wood seems somehow sad. The police force investigates. No one will name the culprit, but it turns out there’s some teasing going on. Careful detective work exposes the bully. However, the case is far from cut and dry. Good thing they have the Book of Law to remind them what’s forbidden, though Buffy must first learn to read in order to consult it on her own. Swedish author Nilsson’s second Detective Gordon woodland mystery has all the charm and whimsy of the first. A complicated case meets a complicated solution in this tale of intergenerational friendship that’s deeply respectful of its audience of young independent readers. It’s a sort of Frog and Toad meets Mayberry R.F.D. Spee’s plentiful soft and slightly squiggly illustrations of clothed animals bring Nilsson’s comfortable little world to life. Readers will be hoping this isn’t Detective Gordon’s last case.
Put Detective Gordon’s stamp on it: KLA-DUNK! Another winner. (Mystery. 6-10)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-776570-59-1
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Gecko Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
Long may these clueless chicks cluck! (Mystery. 6-10)
Barbara has built a mysterious box in the backyard near the coop; what dangerous creature lurks within?
The Chicken Squad is on the case (much to retired rescue dog J.J. Tully’s amusement). Dirt (the smart one), Sugar (the know-it-all), Poppy (the boy), and Sweetie (well, she shows up) decide to investigate the strange new box on stilts that Barbara has placed in the backyard. With their spy kits (containing binoculars, mustaches, and marshmallow belts), the chicks are ready for action. After three long minutes of surveillance (that may have included a nap), Dirt, at least, has ruled out a shark as a possibility for the backyard’s new dangerous denizen…Sugar’s not so sure. After careful review of the evidence (and accidental poetry) they decide it must be a rabbit…but the door has been left open! Rabbits can’t survive in the wild! So despite the fact that Sugar’s compass is predicting scorching weather (don’t ask), the Chicken Squad is ready to head into the wild to save the maybe-bunny. Cronin continues her series of mystery misadventures following the chicken siblings, while Gilpin takes over illustrating duties from Kevin Cornell (and young fans might not notice the change). Many illustrations and frequent word repetition (not to mention the giggle-inducing high jinks) make this series a great choice for those new to chapters. Final art not seen.
Long may these clueless chicks cluck! (Mystery. 6-10)Pub Date: May 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5046-1
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2016
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