Inspector Hopper (I Can Read Book Series) ANNOTATION
Inspector Hopper and his perpetually hungry assistant McBugg solve three mysteries for their insect friends.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Inspector Hopper and his perpetually hungry assistant McBugg solve three mysteries for their insect friends.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Childrens Literature
Our intrepid detective, Inspector Hopper, and his sidekick McBugg are faced with three mysteries in this early reader. McBugg, who is always hungry, inadvertently helps solve the case of the missing ladybug when he eats a blueberry and creates a mess, just like that in Mrs. Ladybug's house. In "A Boat Disappears," Skeet has lost his leaf boat. He has an amusing cast of friends, ranging from Eensey Weensy to Conrad caterpillar, who unfortunately was the culprit who ate the leaf boat. However, he does help Skeet find a new one. The final story entitled "A New Detective" has quite a bit of humor and the new sleuth turns out to be a bit of a surprise. Cushman will delight kids with his amusing stories and delightful illustrations. 2000, HarperCollins, Ages 4 to 8, $14.95. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
School Library Journal
K-Gr 3-A beginning reader with gentle humor and charming characters. Inspector Hopper, a fedora-wearing grasshopper, solves three separate mysteries with the assistance of McBugg, a bowler-topped beetle. The first case involves the disappearance of Mrs. Ladybug. Her husband says, "I called out `Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home!' But she did not come home. I am worried." Following his instinct and some blueberry-stain clues, Inspector Hopper finds the missing spouse. The humor continues in "A Boat Disappears," in which the inspector interviews the Eensy Weensy Spider and a jogging snail in his search for the thief of a leaf. In the last episode, the detectives think that the moon is following them and assume it wants to help them solve a case. This "New Detective" ably shines its light on a rat that is caught stealing some seeds, leading to his arrest. The short sentences, catchy dialogue, and repetitive vocabulary are just right for beginning readers, and many of the pictures provide visual clues. Children will find the colorful cartoon characters appealing and enjoy Cushman's detailed world of these small creatures.-Maura Bresnahan, Shawsheen School, Andover, MA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
Kirkus Reviews
The accent in Cushman's beginning reader is decidedly on the act of reading, as the story itself, broken into three fleeting chapters, has little momentum or interest of its own, let alone the brio or dash any detective story should. Inspector Hopper, all legs and slouch hat, along with his sidekick, the mustachioed, everhungry McBugg, solve three benign capers. The first of these is the disappearance of Mrs. Ladybug, who is found in a berry patch where McBugg has stopped for a snack; the second is the disappearance of Skeet the mailman's boat, a leaf that has been inadvertently eaten by a caterpillar. Last is the uncovering of the stalker in the alley, who turns out to be the Moon and not a bad detective in his own right when it comes to uncovering the dastardly rat. The sentences are clipped as tight as a buzz cut, which makes for easy reading, but if the stories had been just a bit more challenging they would also have been a bit more satisfying. With each sentence being a paragraph unto itself, it is difficult to get any sense of the text's timing, or the inflection of the words. What does charm in these pages is the artwork, with its warm colors, landscapes as seen from insect level, and its atmosphere of adventure, even if it materializes only in the slightest of measures. (Easy reader. 68)
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