CLAW & ORDER: FAIRY GOOSE UNIT

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.