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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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