Detective Blue / by Steve Metzger ; illustrated by Tedd Arnold.

Little Boy Blue is all grown up, and he's a detective working to find Miss Muffet. Join in the fun as Detective Blue tries to solve the mystery with the help of his nursery rhyme friends.

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-Nursery-rhyme characters take on new, but somewhat familiar, roles in this comic-book-style mystery featuring the dedicated flatfoot formerly known as Little Boy Blue. After a typical day starting with cleaning the dish and spoon and making sure Mary's lamb doesn't get into school, Detective Blue is approached by a panicked Jack Sprat reporting that Miss Muffet is missing. In panels full of funny details and spoken asides, the gumshoe interviews various denizens of the rhyme scene to track down his quarry. The mystery is solved when a spider reports that Miss Muffet hates curds and whey and went looking for some tasty porridge. Blue finds Miss Goldilocks Muffet fleeing the three bears' cottage, resulting in a celebratory and satisfying conclusion. Referencing more than 20 nursery rhymes, the madcap mystery will keep children-and adults-intrigued with tiny tips that point the detective and readers in the right direction. The bright, full-color art was created using pencil sketches and Photoshop. Arnold's typical scribbly and big-eyed characters are a perfect match for the "film joie de vivre" atmosphere (the book is rightly dedicated to Stan Freberg) and even older kids will be unable to resist revisiting favorite rhymes from their childhood. A good bet for most collections.-Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

"At one time I blew a horn and looked after cows and sheep," explains the former Little Boy Blue. Now he solves urban nursery crimes, decked out in a blue fedora and trench coat. After catching the Dish, who was running away with the Spoon, and apprehending Mary's lamb, disguised and sneaking into a school ("You can't pull the wool over my eyes"), Blue hears Jack Sprat shouting, "Miss Muffet is missing!" Detective Blue inspects an empty tuffet and an abandoned bowl of curds and whey ("Ugh!"), then questions persons of interest like Little Jack Horner and a spider. Arnold (the Fly Guy books) pictures the proceedings in oversize comics panels, with abundant closeups and voice bubbles. His playful visuals-the PI gives Humpty Dumpty a disastrous pat on the back, and a sign promotes "Contrary Mary's Community Garden"-complement Metzger's (When the Leaf Blew In) allusions. Metzger and Arnold display a consistent wit on every page, tucking in manifold nursery rhyme references for readers to tease out. Children will enjoy recognizing familiar stories, as well as the satisfying surprise conclusion. Ages 4-8. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Horn Book Review

Little Boy Blue is all grown up and trying to keep a handle on crime in storytown. He tracks down the Dish and the Spoon, nabs Mary's little lamb -- but where is Miss Muffet? Takeoffs on Mother Goose and other folk literature have been thick on the ground since The Stinky Cheese Man (rev. 11/92); this one stands out for its sheer relentlessness, as one iconic character after another advises and distracts Detective Blue in his quest to find the missing Miss: "FORGET the plum, Horner! Just give me the FACTS!" The Three Blind Mice, sitting on a park bench, are not helpful, either: "Who just ran by?" "I didn't see anyone." "Maybe it was the farmer's wife." Comic-strip panels illustrate Blue's determined investigation, with Arnold's goggle-eyed characters alert to the quest and the humor. The story saves its best joke for the end, which we won't give away here except to ask, Do you know Miss Muffet's first name? roger sutton (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Review

Nursery noir.That great body of literature known as the nursery rhyme is used as a fine tease here by Metzger; their intimations carry this humorous, simple detective caper along. The glimpses are just provocative enough to have young readers ask what an allusion means, whereupon adults can introduce the real, often surreal, deal. The tale has more meat on its bones than insinuations of the nursery, as well as being aided and abetted by Arnold's illustrations, with their bold, black outlines and translucent blocks of color. It's the story of Detective Blue (the kid formerly known as Little Boy"At one time I blew a horn and looked after cows and sheep. That's in the past!") and his search for a missing person: Miss Muffet. Detective Blue affects a tough-egg attitudeSergeant Friday in fairylandthough he is friend to all: Jack Horner, Jack Sprat, Bo Peep, Humpty (who gets a comradely pat on the back from Blue and takes a fall).Best are all the dangling strings the story presentsten o'clock scholar, baking blackbirds, a plum on a thumb, the knave of heartsthat interested readers can follow to the source.(Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Detective Blue, who previously blew a horn and looked after cows and sheep, is asked to locate the missing Miss Muffet. He encounters a host of nursery-rhyme characters, including Bo Peep, Humpty Dumpty, and Jack Horner; eventually, he stumbles upon a spider that explains Muffet left in search of porridge leading to Muffet's recovery at the Bears' house. Metzger's clever story, recounted in deadpan, Dragnet-style prose, will entertain anyone with knowledge of Mother Goose. Arnold's vibrantly colored cartoon art is a perfect match for the text; the use of comic frames provides ample space for additional rhymes and further clues. This will make a popular read-aloud, but listeners will also need time to pore over the illustrations. Pair with other nursery-rhyme-themed mysteries such as Margie Palatini's The Web Files (2001) or Jeanie Franz Ransom's What Really Happened to Humpty? (2009).--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2010 Booklist

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