The case of the desperate duck

K-Gr 2-Cynthia Rylant keeps the witty banter between her two detectives, Bunny Brown (a rabbit) and Jack Jones (a raccoon), rolling along in this eighth foray of her animal mystery series. In this volume (Greenwillow, 2005), the duo arrive for high tea at Mabel's Tea Room only to find that someone has taken the duck's extra box of sugar cubes. Being detectives "who appreciate sugar," the two volunteer their services to find the culprit and soon have the mystery solved in a way that benefits everyone. William Dufris's narration is well-timed and he employs different voices for the characters; a sprinkling of sound effects adds to the telling. Youngsters will benefit from reading along with the book (one track has page-turning signals) since the excellent illustrations by G. Brian Karas help explain some of the more sophisticated humor.-Jill Q. Altman, Saluda Primary School, SC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Primary) In their eighth easy-to-read case, ace detectives Bunny Brown (a rabbit) and Jack Jones (a raccoon) recover sugar cubes stolen from Mabel the duck's tea room, restore Mabel's peace of mind, and inadvertently get a young ferret (the culprit) some help with his reading. As in the previous books, the point isn't the lightweight, easily solved mystery but Bunny and Jack's bantering relationship as they follow the clues and their hunches to solve the crime. The good-natured illustrations extend the text (a vital clue is fairly obvious in the art but never explicitly mentioned in the story, which may confuse some new readers) and enhance the characters' personalities. Cracking jokes and cracking cases, Jack and Bunny continue to sweeten the experience of reading. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.