Jeanie Franz Ransom has written several books for children,
including What Parents Do When You're Not Home (Peachtree), Don't
Squeal Unless It's a Big Deal- A Tale of Tattletales (Magination
Press), and Grandma U (Peachtree). When Jeanie isn't writing,
visiting schools, or speaking at conferences, she's working with
kids at her part-time counseling job, or making lattes at the local
Starbucks. Jeanie lives with her family near St. Louis,
Missouri.
Stephen Axelsen has illustrated numerous children's books in his
native Australia, including The Piccolo and Annabelle (Oxford
University Press) series, which he also wrote. He lives on the east
coast of Australia.
*When Jack and Jill fell down the hill, did Jack really lose his
crown, or did someone make off with it? Detective Joe Dumpty,
previously seen in 2009’s What REALLY Happened to Humpty?, is on
the case in this witty companion book. Tipped off that a certain
other nursery-rhyme Jack might be responsible for the crown’s
disappearance, Joe sets out to interrogate suspects, and his
noir-flavored narration is just as much fun this time around
(“Between his bum foot and his scorched bottom, Jack wouldn’t have
been nimble—or quick—enough to grab the crown this morning”).
Axelsen’s illustrations are packed with humorous details and
cleverly reimagined Mother Goose characters, and Ransom’s
references to “test[ing] positive for magic beans,” among other
gags, will amuse older readers.
-Publisher's Weekly, *Starred Review
Noir whodunit in the land of Mother Goose. When Jack loses his
crown after falling down that hill, who better to crack the case
than hard-boiled Joe Dumpty, private eye? (Joe made his rep by
solving the mystery surrounding his brother in What REALLY Happened
to Humpty?, 2009.) Jill leaps over the yellow crime-scene tape to
meet him at the hill. Jack's eyes look like pinwheels as he tells
Joe what he remembers; dizzy Jill can't add much more. Spider goes
over the crime scene with a fine-tooth comb...literally! Joe visits
the Sprats, who are fighting; could it be about the crown? Jack B.
Nimble is on crutches; he fell while practicing his candle-jumping.
He's an unlikely suspect. And in the house that Jack built, "Goldy"
describes a suspicious encounter with the Muffin Man. Joe grills
this sailor-suited gourmand, who implicates yet another Jack, the
one who went up the beanstalk. While Joe visits this sulky Jack,
Spider takes a trip up the beanstalk to talk to the giant. Between
them, they solve the crime, and just in time. Joe and Spider can
tackle their next case: The cow has jumped over the moon and hasn't
been seen since. The pun-packed yarn may go over the heads of
younger readers, but their grown-ups will chuckle, and everyone
will enjoy the impish twists on familiar images in Axelsen's
Photoshop illustrations. Genuinely clever.
-Kirkus Reviews
Reviews for What REALLY Happened to Humpty?:
"This CSI: Mother Goose is a winner." --Booklist, starred
review
"This nursery-rhyme caper will please." --Kirkus Reviews
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