Monday, October 9, 2017

Mitzi Tulane, Preschool Detective in What's That Smell?

Mitzi Tulane, Preschool Detective in What's That Smell? Lauren McLaughlin. Illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. 2016. Random House. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Mitzi Tulane knew every smell that came from her kitchen. As a detective, it was her job to know what happened at 123 Maple Street. There was breakfast, which smelled of burnt toast. There was lunch, which smelled of peanut butter. And there was dinner, which smelled of burnt chicken. But this smell stumped her.

Premise/plot: Mitzi Tulane is a preschool detective. Helping her out on this case, and maybe all her cases, is her doll Gigi Gaboo. In this first adventure, Mitzi is trying to detect what the GOOD smell coming from the kitchen is. Will Mitzi be the last in her house to know what's going on? Maybe, maybe not. Baby Kev isn't much in the know either.

My thoughts: I liked it okay. But I didn't love, love, love it. I find it hard to believe that Mitzi is really so very, very clueless that it's her birthday. That being said, this one has some cute elements in it. I liked seeing what Gigi Gaboo was doing on each two-page spread.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10

© 2017 Becky Laney of Young Readers

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