Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Ike LaRue -- the devilish dog hero of Mark Teague's runaway hit, Dear Mrs. LaRue -- goes from obedience school dropout to shrewd sleuth in this exceedingly funny sequel!

As if obedience school wasn't bad enough, Ike is now in prison! The Hibbins' cats are missing, and Ike is being blamed. With Mrs. LaRue vacationing in France, and the Snort City Police Department stalled by a string of canary burglaries, he must take matters into his own paws and mount an investigation to prove his innocence. Will Ike be able to solve the crime and preserve his spotless reputation?

Expect more madcap comedy in Ike's daring escapades (both real and imagined), as well as ingenious split-screen visuals from the incomparable Mark Teague.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Last seen heroically saving his owner, Mrs. LaRue, obedience school dropout and creative letter writer Ike returns for another canine caper in this snappy follow-up. This time out, the pooch fond of putting pen to paper is suspected of complicity in the disappearance of Mrs. Hibbins's cats (who happen to be Ike's longtime nemeses). Just as the cats go missing, so do several canaries and other birds from local pet stores. Coincidence? Ike thinks not. Feeling wrongly accused and unfairly detained by police, Ike escapes custody and investigates the Hibbins mystery himself. All the while he keeps Mrs. LaRue, who is on a European vacation, apprised of his progress in letters worthy of a pup with a penchant for melodrama: "An unfortunate misunderstanding (as well as very sloppy police work) has landed me in jail," he writes. Teague once again lets readers in on the fun-viewing the action both as it happens (in full-color scenes) and as embellished in Ike's imagination (featured in black-and-white). For example, the postscript "P.S. Imagine how I feel cooped up inside this loathsome dungeon!" accompanies a color illustration of Ike and a police officer playing a hand of cards in a sunny room, as well as a black-and-white image of Ike being innocently duped by the cats. Lively acrylics paired with comical correspondence result in a picture book that will have Ike fans howling. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Susan Hepler, Ph.D.

As he did in the notable and prize-winning Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School, Teague tells a double story in letters and pictures. In one, the hapless dog has been arrested for catnapping and blued pictures show the poor, pathetic Ike languishing in jail and planning his escape to nail the bird-eating felines that escaped through an open window while their owner wasn't home. Eventually he "rescues" the cats. Ike's hand-lettered mail to Mrs. LaRue away in Europe tells this version. But the full story is really that Ike is fully enjoying his stint in jail, his break for freedom, and his nailing of the wicked cats. Newspaper articles and headlines from time to time enlighten the reader as to what the human population is making of all of this. Reading Ike's letters is a wonderful reader challenge in inferring what is really going on, and a humorous take on the war between the dog and the cats. Teague's textured acrylic paintings, including rendering of the foiled cat burglars, Ike's smug revelation to the police of the two cats cringing on a fire escape, and an ongoing joke about police detectives and donuts, contribute plenty to the visual verve and great good fun of Ike's adventure. 2004, Scholastic, Ages 5 to 9.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-As in Dear Mrs. LaRue (Scholastic, 2002), "local dog" Ike LaRue tells his story through a series of misleading letters to his owner. When two neighborhood cats disappear, the pup winds up a jailed suspect. A black-and-white illustration depicts his pitiful plight as he would like Mrs. LaRue to imagine it-sadly blowing on a harmonica in jail. The real situation, in which he shares doughnuts and coffee with a friendly police officer, is revealed in a color illustration on the same spread. This type of juxtaposition continues as Ike slips out to track down the cats on his own. Pictures reveal that the tireless legwork he describes to his owner is actually time spent relaxing in a luxury hotel. Despite his life of ease, the pooch finally does find the missing felines, and he becomes a hero. The contrast between the melodrama of Ike's imagined world and the comfort of his true experiences should elicit many smiles. The placement of the color and black-and-white scenes varies with each spread, which helps prevent the pictorial construct from being predictable or repetitive. Teague's visual characterizations of animals and people are also a treat. Ike displays a variety of emotions and attitudes, often subtly conveyed by posture, facial expression, or even just the tilt of an eyebrow. The cat-bashing references in the dog's letters add another touch of humor to this satisfying epistolary tale.-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews