Finder's creatures

Gr 1--3--When most of the animals mysteriously disappear from Belly Acre Bog, amateur detective Finder and her friends track down leads and follow up on clues to finding the missing creatures. The mystery overall seems secondary, as only a few clues are actually given, but the focus on adventure and comedy certainly makes up for that; the antics of Finder's friends, Keeper and Chopper, will definitely produce some genuine laughs. A parallel side story featuring a Sherlock Holmes--type named Seymour Warts gently pokes fun at the mystery genre as a whole, as Warts's leaps in logic are questionable yet always accurate. Jones's cartoon-style designs, thick outlining, and sharp color choices make the characters stand out and make the work look overall sleek and polished. Simple word choices and chapter breakdowns also make this a strong recommendation for budding readers and detectives. VERDICT A strong start to this series.--Peter Blenski

Mysteries abound when an unassuming swamp suddenly becomes deserted. The residents of Belly Acre Bog are missing, but the Belly Acre Detective Agency is on the case! Second grader Finder the frog, Keeper the turtle, and Chopper the beaver search high and low through farmland, a forest, secret basements, a beverage factory, and the internet for clues. Meanwhile, the world's greatest detective, Seymour Warts (Finder's personal favorite), and his sidekick, Toady, are pursuing an entirely different set of clues through grayscale scenes, as if inhabiting a separate black-and-white film. Early suspicion over the disappearances points to the radical organization C.R.O.A.K. and its goal of ensuring that all species live separately from one another. It's all in good fun, though, as a consistent sense of humor permeates every chapter, from visual gags like Chopper's accidentally setting things on fire while the trio go camping to Seymour's increasingly convoluted yet ingenious deductions. The young detectives' clues do eventually combine to form a coherent, if fantastic, explanation for everything they find. Finder, Keeper, and Chopper each contribute their own strengths to the case and work well together. The anthropomorphic animals cut endearing figures in the thick-lined, exaggerated cartoons. Color-coded speech bubbles always make it clear who is speaking, even when the speaker is off-screen. Two hilarious investigations for the price of one. (Graphic fiction. 7-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.