Inspector Hopper

July 1, 2000
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 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2000
Gr. 1^-3. In this I Can Read Book, Cushman, the author of books about Aunt Eater and Seymour Sleuth, adds more critter detectives to his roster--Inspector Grasshopper and his sidekick, McBugg. The book's first two stories are straightforward cases for the insect sleuths--Mr. Ladybug's wife is missing; Skeet the mosquito's leaf boat has disappeared. In the final, least successful story, the two detectives wonder whether the moon wants to be a detective: it seems to trail them, appearing and disappearing and illuminating criminals as if on cue. The plots and dialogue lack some energy and cohesion, but the text is clear and age appropriate, and the pages are well designed, with handsome watercolors that will draw children in with their bug's-eye view of the world. ((Reviewed April 15, 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2000
Beginning readers will find a familiar structure, natural language, compelling plot, supporting illustrations, and engaging characters when they meet Inspector Hopper and his faithful partner, McBugg--two gumshoes (a grasshopper and a beetle) who solve mysteries occurring in the arthropod world. The light watercolors define the characters as soft-boiled while slyly playing on stereotypes out of film noir.

(Copyright 2000 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)