Saturday, November 19, 2011

Alexander McCall Smith's book for early readers

The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case
Random House, April 2012

Alexander McCall Smith's first book for children, though set in Africa, is accessible to children from around the world. Precious would like to be a detective, and soon she gets the chance to solve her first case. Someone has been stealing the cake and treats Precious' classmates bring for lunch. While no one has caught the culprit, some of Precious' classmates have accused a plump boy named Poloko of stealing the snacks. But Precious doesn't think Poloko did it, and she doesn't think anyone should be blamed without evidence. Precious develops an ingenious way to catch the thief- and it's not who everyone thought it was! Readers of all ages and backgrounds will delight at the surprising ending.

Iain McIntosh's woodcut illustrations can be found on every page, attracting and holding the attention of children listening to the story. For those reading on their own, the illustrations break up the text into manageable chunks while the sophistication of the design will be enjoyed by adults coming to the book after reading The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

No comments:

Post a Comment