Paul DuBois Jacobs

Mack (a rhino) and his assistant Redd (a bird) are ready for a nice, easy day at the office having wrapped up their 99th case recently. Instead, Mack gets a mysterious phone call from a desperate client who won't reveal themselves, so the detective's errands are put aside in favor of pursuing clues. It seems like something fishy is going on with the annual big race ... can Mack and Redd close the case before everything goes awry?

This is a super fun introduction to the mystery genre, specifically the hard-boiled variety, for young readers. The book is relatively short to begin with at just 70 pages, and it contains black-and-white illustrations and a large font for the text. It is the perfect bridge for kids who have moved past early readers but aren't quite ready for lengthy middle-grade novels just yet. (When they are ready for slightly longer books for upper elementary school-age students, I recommend the Chet Gecko series by Bruce Hale, which have a similarly hard-boiled mystery feel, talking animals, and lots of puns and wordplay, just like this book.)

Certain words that might be slightly less familiar for young readers, such as "bouquet" and "humdinger," are bolded in the main text and then defined in a glossary at the back. There's also some questions at the end, most of which are reviewing the story to ensure reading comprehension and one of which asks readers to make a connection between the story and their own lives.

Overall, a neat little mystery for children to read (and see if they solve before Mack does) and an interesting starting book for a series. Now that 100 cases are already under Mack's belt, what will he do next?… (mehr)

Lee is a jazz musician. He plays piano with a band at a jazz club, until one day, his bandmates notice that he's losing his hearing. The bandleader fires Lee, asking "Who will listen to a deaf musician?" Feeling sad and discouraged, Lee decides to attend a school for the deaf. There, he learns sign language and meets a deaf saxophone player named Max. Together, they begin playing jazz on the subway by signing notes to one another. Other deaf musicians join them, and crowds begin gathering to watch their band rehearse.

This would be a fantastic book to read aloud in the classroom because it filled with onomatopoeia to represent jazz sounds. Children would love the language in this book. It's a story with a clear moral that even young kids will understand -- don't exclude people for being different. The illustrations are colorful, vibrant, and fun. I would recommend this book to kindergarten through third grade teachers.… (mehr)