Once again, Cluehound’s sweet treats (temporarily) vanish before our hero can enjoy them.
The third entry in the Stop That! series sees bumbling Inspector Cluehound again in holiday hot pursuit. This time the thief is the Easter Bunny, who has nabbed the clueless inspector’s very special parade-ready Easter basket, chock-full of goodies. Under blue skies, the detective and Sergeant Squirrel mount a pink tandem bike. The chase takes them through a flower stall, a topiary-adorned garden, a carrot patch, and finally a festival, where a bouncy house lets Bunny “eggscape” into the ether. Along the way, as Bunny hides, Cluehound is distracted by some decorated eggs (easy for youngsters to spot); then Bunny becomes a scarecrow and is concealed in a wheelbarrow brimming with carrots. Cluehound focuses on duck tracks leading to a pond, where the ducks are floating in plain sight, while we (and Sergeant Squirrel, vainly trying to attract the boss’s attention) see the actual prints left behind by the bunny scampering out of sight over the hill. Accessible to independent readers, the book’s rhyming couplets bounce along just like the energetic rabbit does. Youngsters will enjoy the bright spring-colors pastel art and beating Cluehound at the detecting game, with the inevitable sweet, happy ending: a basket much more elaborately decorated than the original one, and overflowing with extra treats. Sure to satisfy this gumshoe’s many fans. (Picture book. 3-7)–Kirkus Reviews
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