Detective Mole

A chef with a “great nose” that can “sniff out anything,” Oscar the mole believes that he would make an excellent detective. He already has the requisite trench coat and deerstalker cap, and when an agitated forest squirrel gives a shout, announcing that their grandfather is missing, he swings into action. He has the squirrel describe Grandpa, and he makes a less than skillful drawing to show the forest inhabitants (“Is that an animal?” one of the group asks politely). But Detective Mole is undaunted as he proceeds to investigate the last place Grandpa was seen. “Did he say where he was going?” he asks officiously, surrounded by, but oblivious to, fishing paraphernalia. As Detective Mole continues to make a hash of things, Pintonato (Chickenology) drafts colorful digital artwork to accompany her tale, and her sense of humor loses nothing in Bibo’s fine translation, allowing English speakers to enjoy this quiet rib-tickler of a detective yarn. Ages 4–8. (Nov.)