The mysterious case of the missing honey by Claire Freedman and Holly Swain

Guillane Children's Books, 2011. ISBN 978 1862337862.
(Ages 6+) Warmly recommended. Picture book. When Inspector Clueless picks up the phone call from Mr Bear,one busy Monday morning, he can have no idea that this theft will keep he and his trusty companion, Sniff-It-Out, busy for the rest of the week. The crime, two jars of stolen honey seems an open and shut case, with the sleuths on the crime scene looking for clues immediately. They go through their files back at the station, and are on the trail of two notorious thieves very quickly. But the next night two more jars of honey are empty, and the pair is baffled. Both f the crooks they had under watch were not the thieves, so the following night, they stay on watch at the bear's house. A funny story incorporating lots of words used in crime stories and television shows, the book is fun to read and would be an ideal opener for a unit on law and order or when talking about the police in the classroom.
The list of suspects will engender discussion around puns and use of words to create images, as phrase such as Beak the Sneak, and Stretch Giraffe are used as the names of some of the suspects. Clueless and Sniff-It-Out will cause lots of laughter from the readers as they follow their antics in trying to find the thief. The illustrations are priceless with their little hidden motifs capturing the readers' attention. I love Sniff-It-Out's uniform, the carrot cake at the party, the house of Fingers the Frog. All delightful and inviting.
Fran Knight