Mr. & Mrs. Bunny: Detectives Extraordinaire!
by Mrs. Bunny
translated from the Rabbit by Polly Horvath
Fantasy
Funny
Mystery
* * * * Stars (Great!)
Mr. & Mrs. Bunny have just decided (one of Mrs. Bunny’s many whims) to become detectives when Madeline’s parents (humans) go missing. Madeline is a responsible young girl, who is about to graduate from the 5th grade, and she’s accustomed to taking care of her folks. When they are abducted by foxes, she is sick with worry about them (how will they manage without her?). All Madeline has to work with is a ransom note (signed “The Enemy”) and a mysterious recipe card written in code. Her famous decoder uncle is no help – he falls into a coma almost as soon as Madeline arrives – and the bunnies, while very sweet and attentive to Madeline’s needs, are not exactly equipped to be detectives (it takes more than natty fedoras, as they discover). If you’re not laughing hysterically as the Bunnys bumble through this enticingly odd mystery, you’re doing it wrong. Funny and very quotable. Read it ALL. I hope the Bunnys and Madeline return for another installment. I look forward to it.
Excerpt: Mrs. Bunny: “I think we should become detectives.” Mr. Bunny: “That’s it?” Mrs. Bunny: “Yes.” Mr. Bunny: “What about my job with the carrot marketing board?” Mrs. Bunny: “Quit.” Mr. Bunny: “And your job collecting lint and creating art from it?” Mrs. Bunny: “That is not a job, that is a calling. But to heck with it. Let’s go buy fedoras…” Mr. Bunny: “…Detective licenses?” Mrs. Bunny: “I think fedoras are enough. Anyone who sees a bunny in a fedora will not feel the need to see a license.” (pp. 55-56)
Reviewed by YA Librarian
