Rereading: THE HORSE IN THE CAMEL SUIT by William Pène du Bois

This is what’s now called a chapter book, 80 pages of story with dozens of full-color illustrations by the author. I don’t have many in my library, but any book by du Bois is worth reading. It’s actually a sequel to The Alligator Case, a book I haven’t read.

The narrator is an unnamed boy who calls himself “a detective in a one-supermarket town.” One day a flamboyant and sarcastic vaudeville magician, Swami Tarragon, arrives with his group of confederates dressed in animal costumes. They parade through town to its one hotel, where the Swami demands a fine room for himself, and room in the basement for his troupe. Before long, the town’s one policeman, Officer Dillingham, gets involved, and the Swami’s insults lead him to arrest the group, imprisoning them in the hotel cellar. Our narrator thinks this is a mistake, and he helps the group get free to put on their performance, though he does believe a serious crime has been committed, and he comes up with a plan to reveal it.

Great fun to read, the illustrations are a delight.

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