THE CASE OF THE MISSING TADPOLE

In actor Winkler and author Oliver’s follow-up, Willow the duck’s sleuthing skills draw attention to another environmental threat at Dogwood Pond.

Once more, Snout the weasel menaces prey, but rather than eating Franny the frog, he wants her to whip up her fried flies at her lily-pad cafe. It’s closed, though, because Franny has an emergency: Her child, Tad the tadpole, has gone missing. Willow immediately begins assessing the evidence and enlists her adoptive beaver dad for some reconnaissance. Sal the salamander—a huge fan of comic books—speculates wildly, while Flitter the dragonfly searches from above. When a human boy’s glasses fall into the pond and onto Harry the catfish’s eyes, his sharper vision shows him the blue-green algae now choking part of the pond, along with an agitated three-legged frog. Willow’s incisive questions start leading to the mystery’s solution as Aaron the heron joins the aerial search. Facing her fears, and with help from her pals, the Pond Squad, Willow eventually discovers that the mystery is rooted in human-caused environmental issues; the forest ranger—the father of the bespectacled boy—tells his son about humans’ role in inadvertently introducing the algae and identifies a solution. Quips and asides enliven the aquatic action and provide relatable humor, while numerous colorful cartoon vignettes reflect the pond’s many angles.

Expanding her expertise, this detecting duck doesn’t disappoint, and neither does this entertaining sequel.