Joe Dumpty (think Joe Friday) investigates his brothers suspicious fall from the wall. Loaded with silly wordplay and cameos from other nursery rhymes. ( )

Detective Joe Dumpty rushes to investigate the mysterious circumstances under which his older brother, Humpty, fell from a wall on his first day as captain of the new Neighborhood Watch program.

A clever take on the traditional nursery rhyme. I found it engaging, with many interesting and thoughtful details. However, I found the ending slightly confusing and the reason for the Big Bad Wolf's crime ("I'm bad") less than satisfying. I might have this in my classroom as a story to interest reluctant readers, however, I wouldn't highlight it or use it as a read-aloud.

Ah, Mother Gooseland. Now that's a place I know I've been before.

Summary (Spoilers): When Joe, Humpty Dumpty's detective brother, hears about his brother's fall, he just knows that he MUST have been pushed and therein starts the pursuit of his brother's pushers. He makes his rounds to all the residents of Mother Gooseland-- names I'm sure you've heard before, like Little Miss Muffet, Chicken Little and Goldilocks. Readers then get to follow Joe as he logically uses the clues to deduce who the perpetrator is, even when it seems highly unlikely that the guilty party was the one "who-done-it". It will challenge young readers to look beyond signs that society usually points to "innocence", like having a second party to back you up.

2 CLAN no CC