Betty’s Burgled Bakery: An Alliteration Adventure

In this tasty mystery, the Gumshoe Zoo team travels to Betty’s Bakery to discover who ate all Betty’s baked goods before breakfast. Crumbs of clues lead both the characters and the audience to figure out the crime. There are just enough subtle hints, in illustrations and dialogue, for a careful reader to solve the mystery before the big reveal, making it a great book to read with children and to ask them to interact with.

The story is all in alliteration, which is a fun feature, but it is occasionally forced. The large cast of characters in the Gumshoe Zoo seems to be partially a means to provide the author with names starting with different letters that he can use when necessary in the text. Additionally, words are sometimes used for their sound rather than their meaning. (For example, a security alarm in the bakery is called an “intense impediment.”)

The art is big and bold an employs a comic style, featuring panels rather than single-page illustrations or two-page spreads. Strong, clean lines mean readers will not miss any of the action or the clues.

Beyond the strained prose, Betty’s Burgled Bakery is a sweet, entertaining book sure to please many readers.