Detective Gordon: A Case in Any Case

Gordon is on vacation, and Buffy is the sole detective at the small police station in the forest. It is not easy for a police officer to be alone. Especially when there are strange noises outside the station at night. Buffy decides to seek out Gordon in his little cottage by the lake to ask for help. After all, two police think twice as well as one. Two police are twice as brave!

"Things have changed in the cozy police station in the forest since last we visited with Detective Gordon (a toad) and his enthusiastic assistant police officer Buffy (a mouse) in Detective Gordon: A Complicated Case (rev. 3/16). Gordon is experimenting with retirement, and he finds that his life lacks purpose. He's also feeling jealous of Buffy's popularity within the forest community. For her part, Buffy, now acting as chief detective, is a bit nervous in the police station all alone and misses Gordon's company. But they are both too proud to admit their needs, and it takes a crisis (two missing kindergartners), then an argument ('Stupid old toad!' 'Idiot child!') to bring them together and lead to an acknowledgment of their warm affection for each other. There are two cases to be solved in this story. Readers will have cracked the first one--who is the 'night-time scrabbler?'--by the end of the first chapter. The other case--where are the missing kindergarteners? --needs all Buffy's people (well, creature) skills and all Gordon's deductive reasoning to sort out. The tone here is understatedly hilarious the list of equipment and supplies that the various animals carry on their expedition to rescue the missing bunnies goes on for a full three pages, building in nuttiness and absurdity--and seldom has a rubber stamp functioned so powerfully."--The Horn Book Magazine

"Since Detective Gordon, a toad, left the police station to take a break and possibly retire, things haven't been the same. He misses his work, while Buffy the squirrel misses her old chief, particularly after a mysterious, hulking thing comes scrabbling around the station at night. When two children from the kindergarten go missing, the two detectives investigate together and, after some wrangling over who's in charge, solve the mystery cooperatively. The case ends, as every case should, with the eating of cake and the stamping ('KLA BOOM!') of an official report. There's a lot to love in the third volume of the Inspector Gordon series, from Spee's captivating, colorful illustrations depicting these dressed-animal characters and their woodland world, to Nilsson's down-to-earth dialogue and sensitive depiction of the two police officers. When emotions overtake reason during Buffy and Gordon's argument and they resort to name-calling, the depiction of their anger and its resolution will resonate with kids. An engaging book for early independent readers and for reading aloud to younger children."--Booklist

"Everyone's favorite cake-eating toad, Detective Gordon, has retired from police work and has embarked upon a life of leisure. Buffy, his stalwart deputy, is now chief detective, and the little mouse takes her job most seriously. Unfortunately, she is plagued by strange noises at night and longs for her old friend and confidant. Meanwhile, Gordon is beginning to find his retirement less than stimulating and misses his beautiful police hat and magnificent stamp with its thunderous 'kla-dunk.' When two young animals go missing from a kindergarten class, Gordon and Buffy decide to rejoin forces to solve this most vexing of cases. Charming, droll, and approachable, this series is old-fashioned in the best sense of the word. Life lessons are imparted within these pages but with a gentleness and brevity that allow a simple yet engaging plot to move forward. Spee's illustrations, done in warm and enveloping tones, set the perfect, cozy mood. While kids don't need to have read the first two volumes, they will enjoy the repetitive quirks of the two main characters if they have. Perfect for graduates of early chapter books and a guaranteed hit as a read-aloud, this is a definite purchase for all children's collections."--starred, School Library Journal