Stop, Thief!

July 1, 2014
In this frisky detective tale, Max, a farm dog, tries to catch a thief as the real perpetrators hilariously lend a hand.Someone is eating the crops, and Max must find him. Off the flappy-eared dog runs, ready to solve the crime. When he sees a bug chewing on a carrot leaf, the chase is on. Rabbit, pig, goat and the crows-seeing themselves as innocent bystanders-offer their help and sympathies. In his determination to apprehend the insect, Max misses some significant clues (like the green bean falling out of the goat's mouth!). When Max chases the bug over the fence line, the animals pick the last of the crops for a party; then, worried the thief might return, they gobble the food up for safekeeping. Gouache on paper applied with different brush-stroke techniques creates texture and depth. The illustrations, done in a warm color palette, offer a nice feeling of light and color, and the stylized animals move through expansive, friendly environments under a bright, blue sky. The playful text also offers plenty of hints to readers, who will smile at the canine's well-intentioned efforts.A lighthearted romp. (Picture book. 3-7)

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September 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-A farmer enlists the help of his pugnacious pooch, Max, to find out who is stealing all his carrots, berries, beans, and cherries. Max immediately spots a blue bug munching on carrot leaves and jumps to the conclusion that the pesky thief has been found. A nearby rabbit (carrot in mouth) offers support and cheers Max on as the bug bolts and dog zigzags through the various crops in hot pursuit. Along the way, he meets other barnyard animals (all with suspicious tell-tale crop remnants) who display wide-eyed innocence and promise to guard the food while sending Max scurrying on. When Max barks the bug off the farm, his animal friends decide to throw him a party and serve him the food they were guarding. But in the end, they can't resist saving the pile of good eats from the thief by eating it themselves. The full-color gouache art has a breezy immediacy that gives a sense of palpable movement as the dog dashes and the animals munch. The drama sprawls across the wide-ranging farm in a sea of blue skies and green growing plants. Readers will spot the culprits long before Max does in this fast-paced escapade.-Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI

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