Furry Friends Find Fun And Family

They are the ultimate companions.  Their distinctive personalities provide us with constant comfort and laughter.  Truthfully, without them our worlds would be incomplete.  They make us wholly human.

For this reason, let us look at three publications in the last five months with feline or canine characters.  In the first title, Joy (Candlewick Press, June 6, 2020) written by Yasmeen Ismail with illustrations by Jenni Desmond, a kitten shows us how to release merriment with total abandon.  You'll be ready to join this frisky feline in mere seconds.

Oh, boy! Oh, boy!

My favorite toy.

I feel joy!

A red ball of yarn caught in the paws of this mischief maker fashions a red tangled trail, until another object gets the scamp's attention.  A blue ball bounces across a room, over its other animal occupants, with the kitten close to it.  Momentarily pausing for an affectionate cuddle with a cat parent, the kitten, along with the ball, is off and running into a nearby lamp.

Kitten and ball go, go, go, until stopped by colliding into the large resident dog.  Several unplanned moves later, some due to the rambunctious dog, finds the youngster outside.  Down, down, down the steps of the porch, the little furry one boings and bounces.

This does not feel good.  This hurts.  The kitten wants its mom or dad.  In a quick minute, a parent is there, offering the necessary care.  Back inside they go, to curl up together in their bed.  Wait!  Oh, no . . . off the kitten goes.

Whether read silently or aloud the words by author Yasmeen Ismail will send your soul dancing with their rhyming, alliteration, and onomatopoeia.  Each carefully chosen word mirrors the antics of the kitten and her current favorite toy.  In addition to the tale of happiness the sentences tell, readers will be reassured by the gestures and care given by the parent to the kitten.  Here is a passage.

Shake,

rattle,

and

ROLL,

this happy soul! 

When you open the matching dust jacket and book case, you are introduced to the story's characters, and the use of full color on white which is prevalent throughout the book.  The kitten, beginning her dance of glee on the front is varnished along with the yarn and title text.  To the left, on the back, the adult cat holds the kitten close in their red, green, and blue plaid bed.  A single curled string of red yarn is on the floor to the left of and behind the bed. 

On the opening and closing endpapers done in the bright red shown on the jacket and case is a tangle of white yarn strung across both pages and coming to rest as a white ball of yarn in the lower, right-hand corner.  On the dedication, verso, and title pages we see a sleeping adult in the bed on the left.  Bouncing dashes indicate the jumping of the kitten that has left the bed to begin the chase with the red ball of yarn.

Illustrator Jenni Desmond using

mixed media

depicts all the elation this kitten feels and displays.  Her images span two pages, portions of single pages, or are grouped together on a single page to portray movement and passage of time.  Cleverly placed dashes indicate the movement of the kitten and its current favorite toy.  At times, the words follow the same path as the dashes.  The facial expressions on the animal characters, especially the kitten, convey their every mood.  The perspective is usually one of observer in the room, but several times to place dramatic emphasis on a point in the narrative, we move close to the kitten.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  Across the bottom on a canvas of crisp white the lamp has fallen and is bent from left to right with the shade resting in the lower, right-hand corner.  Above the lamp in a series of loop-de-loops made by the dashes, the words on top, the kitten and blue ball travel.  Above the lamp and shade on the right, the kitten mid flip, is grinning in absolute satisfaction.

If you want to make your heart happy, experiencing the energy of that happiness, then this book is for you.  Joy by Yasmeen Ismail with illustrations by Jenni Desmond is a read aloud delight on every page.  I highly recommend this title for a storytime focusing on pets, playfulness, and to present how word play can create a mood or a moment.  You'll want to add this book to your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Yasmeen Ismail and Jenni Desmond and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Yasmeen Ismail has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Jenni Desmond has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view an interior image.  At Penguin Random House you can view other portions of the book.

It's not often a dog is categorized as a foodie.  Oh, we know how amazing it is that they can distinguish between the fruit, vegetable, and cheese drawer in the refrigerator.  When the cheese drawer is opened, they appear next to you, seated and ready for a treat, with the speed of light.  Their ability to distinguish one from the other is the stuff of legend.  They do love certain foods over other delicious delights.

In her debut picture book as author and illustrator Alexandra Thompson explores food, and the delectable life of a French Bulldog.  In A Family For Louie (Putnam, G. P. Putnam's Sons, June 6, 2020), we follow this canine foodie whose life is almost perfect, except for one thing.  He knows magical moments are better when shared.

Louie considered himself a

dog of very fine tastes.

He knew every chef in town.

He enjoyed the best restaurants and their finest fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  He never missed dessert.  In a park fountain he bathed before retiring in the evening with a book and a cup of hot cocoa.  As far as Louie was concerned this life of his was as heavenly as a gourmet meal.

Louie did notice other dogs sharing their days with humans.  Louie decided it might be nice to have a family.  What he did not expect was how hard it was to find a family.  One had terrible food choices, and another one had . . . horror of horrors . . . a cat!

As the sun dropped beneath the horizon, Louie's spirits dropped too.  Maybe there was no family for him.  Louie wandered from the park to the town.  What was this?  A new bakery?

Outside the bakery was a little girl Louie did not recognize.  She was friendly.  Louie was uncharacteristically shy.  It seemed that a cupcake could win the heart of a very particular French Bulldog.

When the story begins author Alexandra Thompson paints an endearing picture of Louie with her words.  We immediately identify with the life he has made for himself.  This seemly perfect life is an ideal segue into what Louie needs most.  Humor plays an important part in his attempts to find a family leading us into a gentle, welcome resolution.  Here is a passage.

The next day, Louie saw

a family having a picnic

at the beach.

He thought he might ask to join them,

but when Louie approached . . .

they were eating Jell-O salad

and sardine sandwiches!

These digitally designed illustrations by illustrator Alexandra Thompson convey with detailed charm Louie, his love of food, and his search for a fuller life.  In looking at the open dust jacket readers get a glimpse on the front, right, and back, left, of what that life can be for Louie.  On the front he is looking into the new bakery window with the little girl and her mother as silhouettes.  The title appears as though it is the name of the bakery.  The framing on the window is framing his new beginning.  

To the left, on the back, is a circular, decorative frame around a picture of Louie and the little girl.  They are both holding cupcakes with the cherry on top already consumed.  There is sheer contentment on their faces.  The words above them read:

Life is sweeter

when shared with friends.

The book case is a double page image of a country scene.  The background is a pale blue sky with pink light and clouds.  To the right of the spine on a hillside with meadow flowers, Louie, the little girl, and her mother are seated beneath a tree having a picnic. 

The opening and closing endpapers tell a tale too.  They represent Louie's life before and after he meets his new family.  It's a scene in the city featuring a single arched window in a wall with lanterns on either side.  

Each visual is either a double-page picture, a group of smaller images, or a single-page illustration.  Due to the technique employed by Alexandra Thompson, your eyes are immediately drawn to Louie in each one.  His distinctive facial expressions and body postures depict his every mood.  You'll find yourself falling in love with this little dog.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a full-page picture.  It's nighttime in the town.  In the background stars glow in the sky as lights shine in building windows.  Two trees on the left side of the park stand in dark dusky purple silhouette.  On the right side is a large tree with roots extending across the entire page.  Beneath those roots Louie has carved out a space for himself.  We see it in a cutaway.  The sight of him reading, snuggled in a blanket with his cup of hot cocoa, is precious.

Readers will become attached to the character in this story who is looking for a family.  A Family For Louie written and illustrated by Alexandra Thompson is about finding the most valuable piece missing from the puzzle that is your life.  I know this book will be a favorite for storytimes.  Give your listeners their favorite stuffed toy dog to hold when you share this book with them.  You'll want to add this to your professional and personal collections and gift it to dog lovers you know.

To learn more about Alexandra Thompson and her other work, follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  She has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.  Alexandra Thompson is a guest at author Katelyn Aronson's site.  At the publisher's website you can view the opening endpapers.  I believe you'll enjoy the reading of this book by its creator.

Sometimes our furry friends' personalities take zeal to an over-the-top level.  They see the world around them in an entirely different light than those with whom they share it.  It is this contrast which generates roll-on-the-floor hilarity.

There is a new cat in town who fits this description with excellence.  No Fuzzball! (Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., August 4, 2020) written and illustrated by Isabella Kung is a debut release certain to leave a lasting impression long after the final word is read.  Get ready readers for a riotous read on the wild side.

Hello, I am

NOFuzzball.

Perhaps you have never heard a name like this before,

but that is because you have not met

a queen like me.

This cat believes she is a queen because her humans, her subjects, scream at her, calling her name throughout the house.  She is certain they honor her every request when they are really going about their day. When she sees a packed suitcase, she is certain it is a present for her.

Her family is not happy she decides it is a new bed.  Tending to her ruffled fur after being lifted out of the suitcase, she is unaware they have left the house.  She is shocked at this discovery.  How could this happen?!

She muses about their possible reasons for leaving.  She is thrilled they took the dog, 

that disgusting slobbering mess.

Now she can nap in peace.

She is surprised to find them still absent after her nap, so she starts to roam around the house, worrying about possible scenarios in which they are hurt or kidnapped. In order to dispel these fears, she is determined to be a different kind of ruler.  She does her queenliest best as a cat of cats to spruce up the house.  Will they love what she has done to the place (palace)?  What do you think?

Told in the words of her queenship, humor is replete on every page. The authenticity of No Fuzzball's remarks, her point of view, is purr-fect.  As you read this story, it is hard not to think of author Isabella Kung as a cat whisperer.  Here is a passage.

A queen cannot tolerate such disrespect!

I demand a formal apology . . .

Wait, they left?

How dare they

forget their place?!

What has gotten into them?

There is no doubt in your mind when looking at the open book case, this cat is a bundle of energy, somewhat out of control to her humans, but having the time of her life.  She is a maker of messes.  A destroyer of calm.  And she will always cause you to giggle and grin.  The yellow ribbons on the right, front, cross over the spine to wind around, framing a collection of cat toys on the left, back.  In the center are sentences from the start of the narrative.  In a stroke of genius, a smaller No Fuzzball is casually leaning on the ISBN.

On the opening and closing endpapers readers are treated to the many moods of No Fuzzball.  The 15 images on the first set of endpapers are placed on a white canvas with red as an accent color.  The second set of 15 visuals with blue as the extra hue are also on a white background.  Here is also information about Isabella Kung.

On the verso and title pages it appears as though torn lavender paper reveals orange paper under it.  On the title page No Fuzzball is ripping the paper to reveal the No in the title.  She is at her catastrophic best.

These illustrations by illustrator Isabella Kung span two pages, single pages, or several smaller visuals are grouped on a single page.  No Fuzzball's fur is textured to the point you feel as though you might want to touch it, but you won't because this is No Fuzzball.  Shades of purple and red lend themselves to special marked moments.  It's the looks on the face of No Fuzzball and her subjects which will have you bursting into laughter.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  It's when No Fuzzball is taking a nap.  Four lighted shapes of the sun shining through a window move from left to right, two on either side of the gutter.  These shapes are outlined in a golden orange color.  They are placed on a wooden floor in a muted purple.  No Fuzzball moves around in different positions which are typical but also comedic.

If you are looking for loads of fun and funny, No Fuzzball written and illustrated by Isabella Kung, her debut release, is a claw-some selection.  The constant comparison between the cat's beliefs and reality provide readers with a true page-turner.  You'll be asked to read it repeatedly.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Isabella Kung, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Isabella Kung has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Isabella Kung is a guest on Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, The Soaring '20s and at Jena Benton Writer & Illustrator.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Isabella Kung was part of a Scholastic Book Fair Book Joy Live event hosted by Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher.  Please take a few moments to enjoy these two videos.

Seasonal Success

Central locations, streets and parks, are gathering spaces for plentiful produce.  Rows of white-tented booths are bursting with fruits, vegetables, fresh-baked breads and pastries, honey and flowers.  All the hours, days and weeks of work are spread before browsers and shoppers alike.

There is nothing quite like the farmers' markets in August.  In our local area there is at least one for five days of the week.  Some communities have markets twice a week.  Summer Supper (Random House, May 8, 2018) written by Rubin Pfeffer with pictures by Mike Austin is a spirited salute to those who plant in the spring and relish the results in summer.

Shovel soil.
Sow seeds.

With each page turn following the initial text, actions of the families farming and gardening are told through words beginning with the letter "s".  In each accompanying illustration other "s" words label elements in the scene; a word like string, sticks, or sun.  In order for those seeds to grow water adds moisture to the dirt.

Sprinkle, sprinkle.

Soon bits of green are seen, getting taller and taller.  Color bursts forth in the form of flowers, fruits and vegetables.  A shape stands tall among them, guarding the garden.  You're doing a stellar job, Mr. Scarecrow.

In time those fruits, vegetables and flowers are picked and placed like a vivid still life on tables for buyers to see.  As the day begins to end a family gathers in the kitchen preparing, simmering and mixing ingredients.  A group gathers around a large table for an outside supper.

As the sun drops below the horizon the families, now full of home-grown food, make musical memories.  Later many hands share in kitchen clean-up.  There are bedtime rituals and one typical, final surprise beginning with the letter "s", of course.


One of the first things readers will do after reading this book is take a deep breath and wonder how Rubin Pfeffer thought of all these words beginning with "s".  Then they will think of all the fun he must have had searching out these words and how clever he is to have successfully linked them together for this story.  The alliteration supplied by the short, succinct sentences creates a spirited cadence.  Here is another sentence.

Sizzle, swirl, swish, SAUTE!


The soothing golden yellow canvas with hints of green on the matching dust jacket and book case provide the perfect glow of a summer's day highlighting the bounty of fruits, vegetables and flowers carried by the barefoot boy.  It continues over the spine and to the left, on the back, as cornstalks and blossoms frame the words

SEE
SUMMER
SUPPER,
STEP
BY 
STEP!

The same boy stands on the far left of the opening endpapers, now with a hose in hand watering the soil.  Rows labeled with signs for all the "s" vegetables, fruits and flowers are displayed in bright colors.  A bluebird (happiness) watches.  The kettle the boy is holding on the front of the jacket and case becomes a placeholder for the text on the title page.

All of the two page illustrations by Mike Austin in full color present lively and animated scenes.  He alters his perspective inviting readers into each situation.  When the children and a parent are planting the view is larger. We move in a bit closer as a little girl waters the new shoots.  When a bird and chicken inspect a worm we are even closer plus Mike gives us a cross-section of the roots attached to the sprouts, shoots and stalks.

The white text is placed along the bottom of each picture within a colored band alternating between reds, shades of green, hues of blue, orange, brown, purple, pink, and maroon.  The characters' features are minimal but convey every emotion.  Readers will appreciate the mix of races shown in the images.  On the closing endpapers, Mike Austin again features the boy among a vista bursting with enlarged flowers, vegetables and fruits.  He is carrying a pea pod so big it stretches past and above his spread arms.

One of my many favorite illustrations is of the scarecrow.  Across the bottom of the page are sprightly and brightly hued daisies.  On the left and right are cornstalks and big-faced sunflowers.  On the left, poles and string hold up tomato plants. Four birds are squawking and in flight.  One has dropped a strawberry.  The scarecrow is wearing a large-checked shirt in many colors.  Red gloves are his hands.  He is smiling from cheek to cheek.  On his head, over his straw hair, is a baseball cap.


For a unit on farming, gardening, seeds, summer, food, families, alliteration or simply for fun, Summer Supper written by Rubin Pfeffer with pictures by Mike Austin is superb.  Readers and listeners alike will savor the sounds made by the words and feel the happiness in all the images spread throughout their collective souls.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Rubin Pfeffer and Mike Austin and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Author Johnell Dewitt features Rubin Pfeffer in his role as literary agent on his site.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.

A PU Puzzler

On more than one occasion my canine companion stops in her tracks, nose sniffing the air with enthusiasm.  Her sense of smell proves to be acute and highly accurate repeatedly.  She may refuse to move, looking in one particular direction.  To be able to detect odors with her skill is usually astonishing; a signal for caution or a declaration of company's arrival.  At other times I imagine how unpleasant an aroma is.

As soon as the refrigerator door opens this same furry friend with four paws is sitting next to me; head lifted to savor the scents.  Most of them are wonderful.  When one is highly offensive enough to attract my attention, a search begins.  The Case Of The Stinky Stench (Lady Pancake Sir French Toast) (Sterling Children's Books, May 2, 2017) written by Josh Funk with illustrations by Brendan Kearney brings back the breakfast buddies introduced in Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast (Sterling Children's Books, September 1, 2015).  Within their realm something reeks.

Back in the kitchen and deep in the fridge,
past Trifle Tower, across Taco Bridge,
on a vacation at Marshmallow Coast,
sat Lady Pancake beside Sir French Toast.

Their idyllic hours are about to be interrupted.  Inspector Croissant, nephew to Sir French Toast, is rushing toward them.  A terrible tang is permeating the fridge.  It must be located immediately.   Croissant needs to succeed or his job is history.  Lady Pancake is sure Baron von Waffle is at the center of this repugnant problem.

It seems Waffle is not the culprit in this case; the odor increasing as tater tots make haste.  A green veggie gives them a clue but the water dweller in Corn Chowder Lake is not a helpful hint.  Pancake and Toast are certain the mystery will remain but the detective has everything to gain with finding a solution.

The trio trudges to new heights encountering a revolting stink.  There a cringe-worthy sight greets their eyes.  This guy has to go.  But wait!

Detective Croissant points out a well-known fact.  Back to the beginning the delectable gumshoes go. Will a foul fungus be their first failure?  Will this riddle be their ruin?  Can they turn this mess into success?


One thing is abundantly clear; Josh Funk can turn your refrigerator into a food fantasyland.  Readers will roam with relish through his tasty places as the rhyming words cook up a rhythmic feast for our minds and ears.  The clever use of a red herring educates as it entertains; no mystery is complete without at least one.  Acquainting readers with new characters heightens their desire to connect with the case. It will have them wondering when they will meet these fridge friends again. Here is a sample passage.

"What are you doing here?" Waffle said, sneering.
"I'm sleuthing," Croissant said.  "And you're interfering.
What do you know about smells that are vicious?"
"Nothing!" said Waffle.  "My home smells delicious."


I know for a fact when readers open the matching dust jacket and book case, the first thing they will do (after they smell it, Mr. Schu) is run their fingers over the jacket.  The title text, crown, mustache and decorative dots are raised.  The outline of Inspector Croissant has additional texture.  The colorful gummy bears will generate a comment or two.  To the left, on the back, we see the back of the bears, Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast.  In a spotlight stands Inspector Croissant looking right at the reader, ready to solve the case.

In keeping with the rich purple hues, outlines of food are etched on the opening and closing endpapers.  Nearly all of them are animated wearing looks of happiness.  In full color the food surrounding the text on the title page literally looks good enough to eat.  Rendered in pencils and digital media most of Brendan Kearney's illustrations span two pages, edge to edge.  To supply pacing he includes single page pictures and small visuals on a single page.  The vertical gatefold at the end is fabulous.

It's a given readers will pause at every page turn to look at all the included details.  The Trifle Tower, the labels on the maple syrup, the flag outside Baron won Waffle's abode (with gummy bears peeking out the door), and the inspector's suitcase and magnifying glass will increase the laughter factor along with the facial expressions when the stinky stench goes drifting past the fridge residents.  A super technique Kearney uses is to show outlines of the places previously visited behind the current scene.

One of my favorite of several illustrations is when the trio, Lady Pancake, Sir French Toast and Inspector Croissant, are rowing on Corn Chowder Lake.  We are looking at them as if through a porthole.  The lake is a golden orange with large chunks of corn, cheese and herbs floating in it.  The friends are rowing with carrot sticks for oars.  They are seated in a Portuguese Sardines can with the lid curled open with the key.


The Case Of The Stinky Stench (Lady Pancake Sir French Toast) written by Josh Funk with illustrations by Brendan Kearney is sure to have readers laughing out loud as they trek with the trio through the smelly refrigerator.  I guarantee you'll be looking and smelling in your appliance with fresh senses the next time you open the door.  Who knows who you will discover within the chilly realm?  Make sure you have a copy of this title for your personal and professional shelves to partner with the first book.

To discover more about Josh Funk and Brendan Kearney and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their personal websites.  At Josh Funk's site he has quite a few fun things for readers to do.  Josh Funk maintains a blog here.  At The Children's Book Review a giveaway of both titles is in progress until June 5, 2017.  Author Josh Funk is featured at KidLit 411.  On KidLit TV Josh Funk reads Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast before he reveals the cover for this title.   I was thrilled to be able to interview Josh and present the book trailer premiere here at Librarian's Quest.

Farmyard Tom"fowl"ery

If you call out to a group of children asking them who wants to play a game, you will get a unanimous chorus of me.  If you tell them they need to search for clues to solve a mystery, the excitement grows.  Guys and gals love to laugh.  They are perfectly wired to sense the humor in almost any situation; the sillier the better.  They also become attached to characters in books they enjoy.  They will reread these books over and over because they don't want to leave those fictional individuals.

Fans of Detective Wilcox and Captain Griswold who we met in The Case of The Missing Carrot Cake (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) (Creston Books, LLC, May 12, 2015) have returned in their second thrilling episode combining mystery and hilarity.  The Case Of The Poached Egg (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) (Creston Books, LLC, April 2, 2017) penned by Robin Newman with illustrations by Deborah Zemke is about a most heinous heist.  The only thing in hot water might be the criminal when caught.

Boys and girls, this case is about a poached egg on Ed's farm.

Over 100 animals live on this farm.  Most work.  Some horse around.  Others steal.

Policemice Wilcox and Griswold know something is about to happen even before they get a call early in the morning on Tuesday.  Farmer Ed's Big Speggtacular is going to be held on Wednesday.  The competition is fierce among the fowl friends.

Henrietta Hen is frantic.  Her precious Penny has disappeared.  Is Penny her mother, sister or daughter?  No, she is not.  Penny is an egg, a very fine egg.

When the Missing Food Investigators arrive at the coop, feathers are frantically flying.  Henrietta Hen first shows them a ransom note with unfamiliar handwriting.  No one has been near the coop except for Gabby Goose and Colonel Peck.  Colonel Peck is far from helpful during his questioning preferring to focus on his lack of corn kernels.  So far the evidence, egg shell samples, feathers and prints, reveal nothing unusual.

Detective Wilcox has an epiphany while eating a cheese donut when they are stopped at the Milky Way for cows to cross.  There's something odd about the letter e in the note.  Interviews with Gabby Goose, Miss Rabbit and Porcini the Pig leave the duo more puzzled than ever.  There is no time to lose.  What if the egg happens to hatch?

Will Farmer Ed's Big Speggtacular disclose more than a winner?  Will the egg burglar blunder?  Let's hope the conclusion leads to cracking the case and not precious Penny.

With every reading the language written by Robin Newman gets richer and richer with one comedic comment, thought or sentence after another.  Her command of word play will have you laughing out loud at the same time you wonder in amazement how she manages to create combination after combination of words with more than one meaning.  The references to chickens, other fowl and farm life are astonishing. 

The blend of dialogue, spoken and silent accounts by Detective Wilcox and the lack of speech but knowing looks by Captain Griswold make for an eggs-cellent contrast.  The use of time of day and place at the beginning of each chapter add to the law enforcement atmosphere.  Detective Wilcox usually manages to close chapters with astute observations.

"If we don't find Penny fast, I whispered to the captain, "she might end up in an omelet.  Or worse, in a bucket of fried chicken!"

We had to scramble on this case.  Scramble before we had scrambled eggs indeed.

Here is another sample passage.

Knock. Knock. "MFIs," I hollered.

"Door's open.  Come on down," shouted Miss Rabbit.

We slid down the rabbit hole and landed in the kitchen.

"Detectives, how nice of you to drop in," said Miss Rabbit.  "Would you like some carrot cake?"

Illustrator Deborah Zemke has a keen eye for making the book case look like a well-used file folder or pages from a case file.  Placing the A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery logo inside a poached egg is sheer design genius.  The cracked egg shells and fowl prints carry across the opening endpapers which includes the verso and title pages.  Every detail references to policemice work.  

On the two introductory pages a map of Ed's Farm is placed over MFI photographs of Captain Griswold and Detective Wilcox.  With every page turn small images on placed within the text, reflecting the narrative.  Each chapter begins with an oval image at the top.  To emphasize a moment the illustration might cover a half of the page or be spread across the bottom of two pages.

The eyes on the chickens, the body posture and facial expressions on all the characters, and their clothing add to the humor.  It's particularly funny that the MFIs are much smaller than most of the animals on the farm.  Readers will find themselves chuckling at some of the details; Colonel Peck's oversized comb, the names of the chickens written on their boxes, and Gabby's pouch for carrying her egg, Gertie.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is at the beginning.  There is something about Detective Wilcox's and Captain Griswold's car being a wind-up toy which I find hilarious.  In the lower half of the page they are leaving MFI Headquarters which happens to be a Sneaker Squeakers box.  As Griswold opens the driver's side of the car, Wilcox is turning the key to get the car moving.  Their hats and coats are totally in keeping with the old style vision of law enforcement attire.

Sleuths are going to get caught up in this farmyard whodunit trying to piece the clues together.  The Case Of The Poached Egg (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) written by Robin Newman with illustrations by Deborah Zemke is bursting with the imaginative use of words.  I don't think you will ever look at an egg the same way again.  Early readers are going to savor every page.  

To learn more about Robin Newman and Deborah Zemke and their other work please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  At the publisher's website you can download a curriculum guide for this title. Robin Newman was a Featured Member at KidLit TV.  Enjoy the book trailer. 

Disappearing Dessert

To discover characters you've come to enjoy will be returning in another story is like celebrating your birthday more than one day a year.  They are friends you can take with you anywhere, experiencing their adventures, their joys, their tears and their fears.  Over time, books in a series allow you to watch characters grow.

While reading about these fictional pals we can see little pieces of ourselves in them.  Sometimes we notice something before they do, willing them to share in this realization.  One of the best things is when they make us laugh, completely unaware.  Yesterday teacher librarian extraordinaire, John Schumacher hosted author Robin Newman on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  After reading the post I knew I had to move her debut title, The Case Of The Missing Carrot Cake (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery), Creston Books, LLC, May 12, 2015) to the top of my stack.  Late into the night I was bursting into laughter at her words and the funny detailed illustrations of Deborah Zemke.

Boys and girls, this case is about thieves on Ed's farm.  The names have been changed to protect the good guys.
Over 100 animals live on this farm.  Most work.  Some horse around.  Others steal.

The phone at the MFI (Missing Food Investigators) office rings at ten on Monday morning.  It would seem that a carrot cake, baked by Miss Rabbit in anticipation of an upcoming party, has vanished.  Detective Wilcox and Captain Griswold, two vigilant policemice, head to the scene of the crime in their squad car.

After sliding down the rabbit hole, they see crumbs, carrots and frosting all over the kitchen, even on the pajama-clad Miss Rabbit.  Clearly she is in a state of extreme agitation.  The sleuths are stumped as there is no evidence pointing to a culprit.

Three possible suspects are questioned with due diligence, Fowler the Owl, who would enjoy consuming a particular rabbit and two nearby mice more than an evil-smelling carrot cake, Porcini the Pig, a corn-loving thief with a list of priors, and Hot Dog, a dog with gourmet cooking skills and an appetite to match.  Their replies only add to the who-done-it mystery.  A cake consumer is on the loose.

Detective Wilcox devises a plan to ensnare the wily rogue, employing a cook's culinary confection and a tried-and-true technology.  Nearly twenty-four hours of waiting end when a shout of sheer chagrin pierces the air.  Another heist has happened.

Can this carrot cake case be cracked? Will the gumshoes get the sticky-pawed prowler?  Read and savor the delectable conclusion.


Be prepared to grin and grin again from the first page to the very last courtesy of clever word play written by Robin Newman.  Readers are treated to case-solving lingo, puns and well-known phrases expertly inserted into the narrative and dialogue.  Detective Wilcox carries the conversations while Captain Griswold's stares and glares make their own statements.  Each episode ends with a definitive thought by Wilcox,

A hard nut indeed. or
Slower than molasses indeed. 

for example.  To heighten the thrill of the chase, times and places begin the chapters and portions within chapters.  Here is another sample passage.

Porcini's cheeks turned the color of a red hot chili pepper.
"I may take the cake as the best corn thief in town, but sirs, I am not a common cake thief!
Oink!"
The captain handed me Porcini's rap sheet. (That's a record of arrests for all you non-cops.)
It was a mile long for corn robberies, but he had no cake priors.
"Seems like you've spent some time in the pen," I said, hoping his reaction would give me a clue.
"Why peck at the past?  I did my time and now I'm clean.  I bet Hot Dog ate the cake.
That slobbering hound has a sweet tooth."


The crumpled paper spattered with cake crumbs covers both the front and back of the book case.  On a file folder with a tab reading CAKE, CARROT book blurbs are featured on the opened left.  One look at the determined faces of Detective Wilcox and Captain Griswold framed in the oval on the right and you know the crooks will be captured.  The opening and closing endpapers continue the theme with the Case Report containing the publication information opposite the title page at the beginning.  The dedications are paper-clipped to the top.  At the end an evidence folder appears on the left with wanted descriptions of the author and illustrator on the right.

The illustrations rendered by Deborah Zemke using a full-color palette are a blend of spot insertions, oval headers for chapters, full page pictures framed in a white border, smaller images on a single page and a two page illustration surrounding the text.  These variations in size enhance the pacing to perfection.  She skillfully maintains perspective with the animal sizes on the farm. Facial features and body language add to the comedy.

Zemeke's details are as playful as the text.  The squad car is a wind-up toy.  When taking pictures at the crime scene, Captain Griswold uses an old-style flash camera.  At one point Fowler The Owl is wearing a gas mask.

One of my favorite illustrations is of the squad car traveling down the road at the start of the story.  We are given a bird's eye view of the farm complete with two chickens crossing the road in a crosswalk with an appropriate sign at the side.  I dare you not to laugh when you see the wind-up key sticking out the side of the policemouse car.


This early reader, The Case Of The Missing Carrot Cake (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) written by Robin Newman with illustrations by Deborah Zemke, is one you don't want to miss.  Whether you read it to yourself or as a read aloud plan on a chorus of "read it again" and shared smiles.  It's one case you won't want to close.  I would stock multiple copies.  An every-last-crumb-will-be-consumed Mollie Katzen's Carrot Cake recipe is included at the end.  A second book is coming in the fall of 2016. Hooray!

To learn more about Robin Newman and Deborah Zemke please follow the links attached to their names taking you to their websites.  Here is a link to Robin Newman's blog. A Curriculum Guide for Educators & Readers is located here.  Enjoy the book trailer.



The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake from Robin Newman on Vimeo.