William & the Missing Masterpiece

by Helen Hancocks

The Mona Cheesa painting is missing, and only cat-detective William can solve the crime!

Debonair cat-detective William finds himself at the center of a mysterious theft when the Mona Cheesa is stolen from a Parisian gallery. Can William put the clues together and solve the crime? Fans of Helen Hancocks’s Penguin in Peril won’t be disappointed in this hilarious tale of cat and mouse.

Genres: Picture Books, Art, Mystery, Cats, Childrens, Humor, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2014

About the author

I am an illustrator, currently living in Manchester, England. I graduated in 2011 and have been gradually developing my working practice since. I spend a lot of time staring into space, walking around, drinking tea and watching films until an idea very gentle hits me in the face. My first Picture book ‘Penguin in Peril’ was published in 2013 by Templar publishing and was the UK’s best selling debut picture book that year and has gone on to been nominated for a host of awards. My second picture book ‘William and the Missing Masterpiece’ published by Templar will be released May 2014. My work has also featured in ‘The Skinny‘, Ceramic Review and The Lincoln Film Festival.

Helen Hancocks graduated in 2011 with a degree in illustration and animation from Manchester School of Art. She uses a mixture of crayon, watercolor, ink, and pen, combined digitally. Her work often features cats.

Reviews

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

25 June 2022

So many cheese puns! Famous works of art now containing cheese! I cannot resist a jellicle cat. Possibly not any cat, but especially not a jellicle. Or an international cat of mystery.

***

09 May 2017

William bears a startling resemblance to our own reading buddy, Calder Alexander Eno, who is a very big cat. He'd be even taller than William , I think, were he to start walking about on his hind legs. William is trying to solve a mystery about an art heist during the Cheese festival. Calder is mysterious and is named after an artist. All of the humans and some of the cats in our house are crazy about cheese.
There was no way we weren't going to love this book.


Library copy

[Chris Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t usually include picture books on here (my dream job) as it feels a bit like cheating, but this is such a ridiculous joy of a book - it does that perfect thing of being deeply funny for kids, but also appealing very much to adults as well. The art is stylised but really charming and the denouement is wonderfully daft. So good

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I didn't like this one quite as much as Penguin in Peril, I still enjoyed it. After all, it features William, a very smart and observant cat, and an art-related mystery that has a pun or two. The book's pencil and gouache illustrations are lively and will bring smiles to readers' lips. When a famous painting goes missing, William is quick to go to work finding out who is responsible for the theft. I enjoyed watching William follow his suspect, but didn't really care for his side trip to chat with his artist friends since that distracted me. Readers may not surprised at how things are wrapped up in the end, but they will enjoy the journey. I'll be looking for more from this talented woman from the United Kingdom.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a description of Helen Hancocks' work as being "ostensibly for children" which strikes me as a very appropriate description. I loved this book and giggled my way though it. William is dashing with a hint of Inspector Clouseau. The plot is somewhere between a Cary Grant movie and an episode of Scooby-Doo. Dry wit and cheese puns abound.

Of course, this means that even though you'll find this on the picture book shelves, and it is filled with bright joyful pictures that kids will like, there is a lot going on in there that might not click with younger readers. Sort of like the Muppet show, where I'm still just now getting some of the jokes.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the wordplay in this story!

[Shandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très drôle! Slightly too wordy for my usual storytimes, but would work well with older preschoolers or elementary age kids.

[Cosette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book so much better the second time around.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

William the cat is about to go on a much needed vacation when he receives a frantic phone call from a museum in France where the most important painting has been stolen. So much for vacation. Off William goes to Paris to help solve the mystery. He finds a few clues at the museum but decides to take a walk and eat some lunch. While he eats lunch he catches sight of a strange character. He follows this strange individual until it's time to attend a party he promised to attend. At the party he sees a very strange piece of art that he realizes is an altered version of the stolen painting. William the cat for the win!

Cute story; the illustrations are static and child-like and the numerous cheese-references will fly over children's heads.

[Vitani Days · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro per bambini gradevolissimo, storia semplice e immediata dal finale meno scontato di quel che si direbbe. Mi hanno steso le illustrazioni, con la chicca dei quadri famosi "riadattati" al mondo felino, e la quarta di copertina con quel bel micione bianco e nero che nella vita fa il detective.
Ottima lettura per tutti i bambini e specialmente per gli amanti dei gatti!

[Braelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantasy. 2014. This is an excellent book to share with kids. The main character is a cat named William who needs to find the missing "Mona Cheesa". The story is humorous for children and adults. The story has clues within the pages to try and lead you to guessing who stole the painting which I really enjoy and think makes the story even more engaging.

[Christina Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had been meaning to pick this up for a while - I have a soft spot for children's books about art or set in museums/ art galleries or libraries. I liked the colourful, expressive illustrations, the setting in Paris and the clues scattered throughout which will get children engaged in predicting who the 'baddie' will be.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was rather a clever and fun read. The 'mystery' was easy enough for an eight-year-old to work out (although the kittens were baffled). My only complaint would be whoever put black type on a medium blue background must not be over 40. :/

[Stephanie Cano · Rating 2 out of 5]

William, the cat, was trying to find who had stolen the "Mona Cheesa". He goes throughout his day looking for clues, he finally finds out who it was! It was a cute and silly book, regarding some words and events. The illustrations were also GREAT!

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wordy. Cute art.

[Lisa Fabiano · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cat detective, missing art and a Paris setting make for a great mystery. Fabulous word play and a witty story line make this an engaging read aloud.

[Ania Gaska · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very charming mystery solving cat!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should really probably only get 3 stars, but since I'm a French major and enjoyed all the fun French expressions and plays on words it gets a 4 from me.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, amazing, amazing. Full of wit and cheese puns. My new favorite picture book!!

[Steph Anie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the book - especially as it linked to French and art. A great children’s read.

[Y.Poston]

great cheese caper!

[Mikey James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story with great artwork to match!

[Manish Vora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. Cheese crazed Paris. Everything has a cheese theme. Mice ending up stealing the Mona Cheese in order to get free cheese for a year. Cool drawing and fun tone.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, the cheese puns! 🧀

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoy this mystery series. A can gets called to search for a missing painting at a museum. I love the funny story and bright pictures.

[Nur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute children book with really great illustrations

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little mystery with the culprit being fairly obvious from the beginning. I liked the artwork. It had a good pace and good text ratio. Definitely fun to read and spot little details in.

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Parisian art gallery hires William, a mystery-solving cat, to solve the case of the missing Mona Cheesa. A fun story with plenty of cheesy wordplay.

[Brittanny Handiboe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone has stolen the famous Mona Cheesa from a museum in Paris! Without a crumb of evidence to be found, who can solve this mystery in time for the National Cheese Week exhibit and painting competition? With his master detective skills and attention to detail, William the international cat of mystery can. Hancocks’ bright, bold illustrations and page design along with the likable main character cat William, makes this picture book delightful for anyone who enjoyed Handcocks’ other funny story, Penguin in Peril. Though the Mona Cheesa thief and plot are predictable and the story is perhaps a bit lengthy for a picture book, the beginning grabs the reader’s attention enough, jumping right into action within the setting and wrapping it up with a satisfying ending that invites Hancocks to make a series. Recommended for ages 3 to 7 and any adult that may enjoy cheesy puns, Paris and painting references.

Okay, this book has a cat, corny puns, and art. I can't help but think it's just outright adorable

[American Mensa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a picture book about William the cat. He solves mysteries. He’s a black and white cat with green eyes and a red notebook. He reminds me of Pepper from another book I reviewed called Pepper and Poe. But William is different because he’s a detective. He wants to find the famous painting Mona Cheesa. My mom says we call it the Mona Lisa. William finds clues to get the painting back. He follows a strange person, finds a red strand of yarn and finds a hole in the museum. He calls his friends to help solve the case. In the end, William finds what he is looking for.
I like this book because it’s about a cat detective. It’s so funny to me. The illustrations are colorful. It takes place in an art museum. I want to be an artist. I feel happy when I see the art work. I give this book five stars. I think any kid my age would like it.
Review by Cameron H., age 5, New Mexico Mensa