School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-The adorable crime-solving duo returns to deduce the whereabouts of Detective Buffy's mom. By focusing on Buffy's origin story, Nilsson deepens the series, which has already covered such meaningful themes as intergenerational friendship and bullying. This volume gently explores concepts like trauma, as when Buffy remembers the stressful circumstances under which she was separated from her entire family. There are a few loaded asides from Gordon that reinforce harmful forms of real-world bias ("Maybe mice could leave their families and think no more about them. You couldn't assume that everyone was like a completely ordinary toad"). This detracts from an otherwise thoughtfully crafted plot in which Gordon and Buffy learn from their younger sidekicks and Gordon acknowledges his own power. Spee's illustrations skillfully capture tender scenes along with spots of chuckle-worthy moments. VERDICT The charming pastoral setting, Gordon's wry antics, and Buffy's heartfelt journey will provide much comfort to fans of the series, especially on rainy days or before bed.-Della Farrell, School Library Journal © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
This fourth series entry (Detective Gordon: The First Case, rev. 5/15, and sequels) sees Detective Gordon slowing down but still enjoying life, his protg Buffy having assumed most of the duties of the sweet little police station in the forest. The toad-and-mouse pairs peaceful routinetheir police work consists mostly of educating citizens to be kind to one anotheris interrupted when Buffy suddenly realizes something catastrophic: before coming to the forest, she had been separated from her mother and her many mouse siblings and doesnt know their fate. Accompanied by two young volunteers, toad Sune and mouse Gertrude, the detectives set off on an urgent mission to Cave Island (Buffys now-remembered home), solve the case, and reunite Buffy with her family. The adventure moves along brisklywith clues to unravel, a hungry Fox to reckon with, etc.but deeper issues permeate the story, from the first pages to the last. How does Sune come up with where Buffys family is hiding from Fox? He makes a poem to clarify his thinking. (As Detective Gordon says: Maybe you can catch a thought that is inside you.) What is the best action to take if one finds a hedgehog sleeping in the middle of a path? The young ones decide to wake her up and help her find a better place to sleep. (BravoYou dont need to go to the police for every little thing. You can simply be helpful.) The future is bright for both the forest police and for readers hoping for the next installment. martha v. Parravano (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A very personal case for the detectives of the sweet little police station in the forest.Detective Buffy (a young mouse) and Detective Gordon (an old toad) handle nice, small cases like lost scarves and naughty, littering children in their forest district. When two students from the local kindergarten, a baby toad and a baby mouse, come to train as "small police," they mention their mothers so often that Buffy becomes sad. She doesn't remember hers. Detective Gordon encourages her to write poetry to remember, and her verse leads to memories of her past. The four head out to Cave Island to discover what happened to Buffy's newly remembered mother and siblings. The island is across a mountain and, of course, a bit of waterand there is a fox there to deal withwill he eat the police? Nilsson's fourth case for kind, wise (and tired) Detective Gordon and his cake-loving mouse protge is no less charming than its predecessors. Marshall's deft, homey translation and Spee's colorful, plentiful illustrations of anthropomorphic animals give the book the feel of a classic you just hadn't discovered until now. A good choice for family reading time or newly minted readers of chapters.A gentle, mothercentric mystery that couldn't be less threatening and a fine addition to the series. (Mystery. 6-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When a little toad and a little mouse appear at the forest police station, Buffy and Gordon accept them as students. Besides teaching them the principles and practices of policing, the detectives take them on a case: Buffy's search for the family she had forgotten after a ghastly catastrophe. Written with empathy, precision, and wit, the latest volume in the Detective Gordon series fills in Buffy's backstory while sending the characters on an adventure that young readers (and prereaders lucky enough to hear it read aloud) will enjoy. Colorful illustrations capture the story's scary moments and cozy details, right down to the last little cake.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
