This versatile Newbery Medalist has crafted another winning series for young readers, this one for kids who are ready for books that are a little longer than the stories in her perennially popular Henry and Mudge series. The High-Rise Private Eyes are two big-city sophisticates, Bunny Brown, a stylish and brilliant female rabbit, and Jack Jones, a rather timid but inquisitive raccoon. The two are best friends who live in separate apartments in the same high-rise building, and together they specialize in solving minor crimes in their neighborhood. In this book, the second in the series, Bunny and Jack track down a bird-watching cat who has made off with monogrammed binoculars belonging to their neighbor Miss Nancy, a delightful goose who gives piano lessons on her grand piano and grows yellow roses on her balcony. The winsome animal creatures are brought to life with Karas’s (The Seals on the Bus, p. 633, etc.) pastel illustrations done in acrylic, gouache, and pencil, in a style similar to that of Marc Brown. Teachers will like the format of this series, with clever integration of different types of writing: the words of the title on an index card, the contents page on a legal pad, lists of clues, and a letter from the detective duo on the inside back cover flap. Bunny and Jack solve their first case in The High-Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Missing Monkey (not reviewed), with more cases in the works. The series will help fill the demand for easy mysteries that are accessible to young readers in the early grades and funny, too. (Easy reader. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2000
ISBN: 0-688-16310-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2000
The creator of Fireman Small offers an equally diminutive gumshoe on the trail of a slippery thief. When every banana in town disappears overnight, baffled police turn to determined Detective Small—depicted in Yee’s cartoon illustrations as a brown-skinned, serious-looking lad in the requisite fedora and trench coat—to solve the case. Bunches of clues and a chase scene later, Small has made the collar—or has he? A loose end leads to further investigation, and one final clue in the shop of ice-cream entrepreneur Folsom Fox. Featuring plenty of visual jokes (including a cameo from the Man in the Yellow Hat) and a narrative written in sprightly verse, the caper is sure to peel right off the shelf. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 23, 2007
ISBN: 0-618-47285-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An alternative for those fairy-loving transitioning readers who are looking for a new magical adventure. (Fantasy. 6-8)
A new chapter-book series introduces a set of mermaid friends.
Rosa, a young mermaid, lives in Mermaid Bay with her three best friends. The annual Midsummer Carnival is coming up and the girls can’t wait to enter. The best performance wins a gleaming pearl necklace! With the help of a sparkling water pony (a magically transformed seahorse, of course), fluttering golden ribbons and a routine filled with dazzling finflips and tailspins, the girls are certain their team will win. But mean twin sisters Muriel and Myrtle make fun of their routine. And when Rosa’s cousin Coral visits unexpectedly, her triple sideflip and graceful pirouettes blow Rosa’s best moves out of the water. To make matters worse, their water pony is stolen on the day of the show! How will they ever win the necklace now? Familiar themes of friendships, jealousy and bullying abound in this undersea world—with a generous sprinkling of sea jewels and stardust on every page. The pony is named Sparkle, natch.
An alternative for those fairy-loving transitioning readers who are looking for a new magical adventure. (Fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: July 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8075-5088-5
Page Count: 76
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2011
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
