Beginning-to-Read Mysteries: Minnie and Moo: The Case of the Missing Jelly Donut by Denys Cazet

For mystery-loving kids too young for the Nancy Drew or even for beginning chapter mysteries such as the Cam Jansen series (see my previous posts under search term Bridging the Gap) there are plenty of mysteries in the beginning reader genre.

Take Denys Cazet's Minnie and Moo, for example. The two laid-back bovines bumble into detecting when Minnie declares her jelly donut missing.

"I see a crime," said Moo. "Your jelly donut was stolen!"

"Stolen!" said Minnie. "Who would steal a jelly donut?"

"Evil knows no bounds!' said Moo.

When Moo detects a blue feather at the scene of the purported crime, she leads poor Minnie into undercover surveillance of the nearest birds, to be found in the farm's chicken coop. Disguised with funnels for beaks and rubber gloves for combs, the two sneak into the chicken house where they interrogate Elvis the Rooster and a would-be chicken thief in the form of a fox.

The investigation comes to an, er, dead end when Moo detects the missing donut stuck on Minnie's rear, where it's been since she sat down to eat it.

"The Case of the Missing Donut is closed," said Moo.

From crime to clues, undercover to interrogation, false clues to solution, Minnie and Moo wrap up the case in 48 illustrated pages and 1154 words at Accelerated Reader level 2.2--with chuckles to spare.

For another mystery lite, try Minnie and Moo Meet Frankenswine.