THE CASE OF THE NIBBLED PIZZA

Two young sleuths set out to identify a mysterious pepperoni thief in this series opener.

The exciting prospect of a real case at last has violet T. rex Dino Detective rousting her marsupial sibling sidekick Awesome Possum out of bed and racing downstairs with potted Plant—silent partner but also occasional snide narrator—to track down the malefactor who has stripped Grandma Thunderclaps’ homemade pizza of its tasty topping. Tantalizing distractions include a secret agent lunch lady fairy and overheard schemes being laid by mice in an array of disguises from clown to alien. Notwithstanding these, the dedicated gumshoes forge on in their investigation—until, frustratingly, every suspect is apparently ruled out by either logic or alibi. But in true whodunit fashion Bentley tucks in clues from the first page on…which Dino at last puts together to catch the culprit red (sauce) handed. Carping pizza purists may object that the victimized “Sicilian” looks more round than rectangular in some views, but the cartoon images of suspect dossiers and multispecies cast members reflect the tale’s surreal character and manic pacing nicely. They share space with the well-leaded text on nearly every page. Grandma and the lunch lady, the only figures with human faces, present White.

A generous slice of wacky, with savory bits of good detective work melted in.