Bob and Larry are detectives. Larry carries around a stuffed badger to help him remain courageous They have to teach a new group called the Pod Squad to be great detectives. Their first case they get a tip on the Masked Door Slammer. There are too many of them to fit in the detective’s car so they take the Pod Squad van that breaks down. This causes them to miss the Masked Door Slammer. The peas rolled down the hill and this causes Larry and Bob to use hateful words towards them. They suddenly find themselves investigating another case. They think they have caught the culprit only to discover things aren’t what they thought. As they learn the truth they also learn how hurtful words can be if they aren’t used for good. Great lessons in this book. ( )

NCLA Review: This series of Veggie Tales I Can Read books features the well-known characters Bob and Larry and friends in stories emphasizing strong morals and values. In THE FAIREST TOWN IN THE WEST, the Ratt Scallion Gang comes to town. They are mean, steal and cheat. Sheriff Bob reads the cowboy Code of the West, which says that a “cowboy should…treat others the way he wants to be treated.” After a day in jail, the Ratt Scallions find out how much fun it is to be nice. In BOB AND LARRY IN THE CASE OF THE MISSING PATIENCE, detectives Bob and Larry train three green peas to be detectives. Things go wrong and Larry and Bob become impatient. When the case is solved, they feel bad that they lost patience. Reflecting Proverbs 19:11, Larry and Bob realize it is much better to use nice words and to get along. In JUNIOR BATTLES TO BE HIS BEST, Junior plays the tuba, but he doesn’t think he is good enough to enter a music competition. When all of his friends participate, he sits on the sidelines. Junior decides to try and he wins. In BOB AND LARRY’S CREATION VACATION, Larry plans a seven day trip to see all of God’s creations. On the first day they sit on the beach and enjoy God’s light and it is a “good day.” In like fashion, they travel through the Creation story and when they have seen all of God’s wondrous creations, they rest on the seventh day and “behold, it was good.” BOB AND LARRY’S CREATION VACATION is one of the better Veggie Tales books. This series could be considered entertaining for beginning readers, but some of the vocabulary is challenging for beginning readers. Rating: 2 —MMW ( )