Inspector Hopper (I Can Read Level 2)

Mrs. Ladybug is sitting in her house, eating her lunch, when suddenly, she disappears! Only a blue mess--and her distraught husband--are left behind. Fortunately, Inspector Hopper, private bug, is ready for Mr. Ladybug's call for help. He grabs his cohort McBugg (who hasn't yet had his lunch) to crack the case. When the hungry McBugg finally finds a snack--a blueberry--Inspector Hopper puts two and two together, and finds the blueberry-craving Mrs. Ladybug close by. If only all cases were so easy to solve! Things get trickier when Skeet (the mosquito) loses his boat. ("Here is a picture," said Skeet./ "It looks like a leaf," said McBugg./ "It is a leaf," said Skeet, "but it is a good boat.") And trickier still when there's a new detective on the block. Plenty of repetition, humor, wonderful illustrations, and abundant white space around the large type make this book as easy to read as all good beginning chapter books should be. Doug Cushman's Inspector Hopper is a charming addition to the popular 200-title I Can Read series that began with Else Holmelund Minarik's beloved Little Bear. (Ages 4 to 8) --Karin Snelson