Fowl Play

Gumshoe Zoo Detective Agency

by Travis Nichols

Just what kind of monkey business has befallen Mr. Hound's shop? Luckily, our team of plucky detectives has been chomping at the bit to take on their first case. When Mr. Hound hires them to investigate, they hoof it to his shop. And once they get sleuthing, wild horses couldn't drag them away from the scent of a clue. But is it all just a dog and pony show to distract them from the truth? Idioms are everywhere in this hilarious first case of the Gumshoe Zoo detective agency as they attempt to solve Mr. Hound's mystery. Early readers will love the multi-paneled comic book hybrid feel of this raucous adventure as the detectives manage to keep a straight face, collar some suspects, and solve a mystery, all while avoiding beating a dead—never mind.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Mystery, Graphic Novels, Humor, Childrens, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published July 28, 2015

About the author

About twice a month, I have a dream that I'm in my house and I discover a fish tank. It's dingy, overgrown with algae, and FULL of fish. They're swimming around and seem to be okay in the murky water, but I feel so horrible. I completely forgot that I had a fish tank. Those little guys must have been breeding like crazy just so they'd have something to eat.

Oh. Copy... PASTE. Travis Nichols is a writer illustrator in Brooklyn. He is the author and illustrator of a tidy heap of award-winning books and comics for kids and post-kids, including The Terribles (series), Betty's Burgled Bakery, Fowl Play, Matthew Meets the Man, and The Monster Doodle Book. He has played in more than a dozen bands you've probably never heard of (how's THAT for indie cred?!), and he enjoys meteorites and eating watermelon over the sink. Find him at iamtravisnichols.com.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem with writing a book using only idioms of the English language is that your script comes off sounding cliched and corny.

We did have a little fun trying to figure out the idioms being acted out in the front of the book when the detectives are introduced (answers are provided in the back of the book), but that was the high point of this mystery.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an adult I found these idioms fun and humorous, but little ones might tire of the gimmick far before the story closes. A cute concept but perhaps a little too heavy handed and not enough story travel.

[Melissa Flanagin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very witty and punny (sorry). I don't think many kids will understand it though but I enjoyed it.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Idiotic idioms

[Makenzie F · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing!! It is a hilarious story that uses almost nothing but a bunch of idioms. This book is about a group of animals that are detectives. One day they get a call about a grocery story that was broken in too. To solve the case the animals come together saying different ways of the case being corrupt. This leads to the Dog, Mr. Hound, who is the owner of the store being arrested for trying to commit insurance fraud.

The illustrations are fun and colorful. The simplicity of the all the details allow the main events in each story broad to really stand out.

This book would be great book for older students. I would use this book specifically for 5th grade and it would be a great book to introduce students to idioms.

[Woody Chichester · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book to help kids understand idioms! Someone has to solve the case of "Who broke Mr. Hound's Window" and the Gumshoe Zoo detective agency is on the case in this clever whodunit- chock full of idioms. Fun to read aloud, and there is even an explanation guide on the last pages. Plus, it sets up for a sequel...about oxymorons!

[Jj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Idioms! If you love wordplay and idioms, you will very likely enjoy this book. If not, you may find it corny and pointless. There's plenty of fun to be had here with language and illustrations... it would be great to use in a classroom.

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read. Every page turn was another idiom. The back matter was excellent at explaining what idioms were and giving lots of examples. I'm a big fan of idioms and this was a fun, enjoyable read.

[Samantha Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story not only deals with the case of the broken window, but also shows the use of idioms in language. This is a fun story to use to teach students about play on words, as well as everyone working together to solve a mystery.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gah, so freaking clever!!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the use of idioms and puns and this book was full of it.

[Kolbe Bales · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a huge graphic novel fan so this picture/graphic didn't really appeal to me. At times I had trouble following the pictures but loved who the victim was!

[Clara McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was cute and would be great to talk about idioms and figurative language.

[Savannah Burkhalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute little book for a read aloud. The students will find this book funny. I would have this book in my classroom library.

[Renee MA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfect for teaching idioms...

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, the no offense stuff got old in a hurry! But it was funny. Is there a sequel with the jumbo shrimp?!? I enjoyed the pictures and the graphic novel format.

[Madi Ekholm · Rating 3 out of 5]

comic style, book for learning about Idiom’s, its a detective book, easy book to read, probaby first or second grade, kinda cute kinda boring kinda stupid, reminds me of tv shows i watched at that age, most text in word bubbles

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. This book is about idioms. I think the author means well. My big issue is when he talks abput something "fishy" going on, the fish character looked like a chicken to me so it made no sense at all. This happens continuously in his book. None of the characters look like the animals they are supposed to portray, so I would think instead of learning about idioms, kids would just get confused! I know I certainly did. If Nichol's were to redo all the pictures so there is no confusion, it could be a helpful book to help kids understand idioms. As it stands, leave this on the shelf, and find a better book to teach idioms.
So sad,

[Breanna Borunda · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a very sticky situation that occurred at Mr. Hound's grocery store. He came in to the store and seen that his front window is shattered. He has no idea who it might be, and decides to seek out help. So he calls in a group of detectives to help him solve the case. They go on to find lots of clues, and come to realize the suspect is closer than they think.
This is a fictional graphic novel, that will leave you full of laughter. This story is full of characters using idioms that make it more fun to read. The word bubbles are all circles which shows the dry humor in the text. The individual panels are different sizes, where the larger ones are showing bigger things happening in the story. Although the idioms were enjoyable for me, they might be a little hard for children to understand. Therefore, this can be very helpful for children to start learning and understanding what idioms are.

[America Grelinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Chronicle Book for sending me a preview copy! Ah-Mazing!

The first time I told my son to stop his monkey business, he instantly stopped what he was doing and matter-of-factly told me, "Mom, I am NOT a monkey." Outta the mouths of babes! Idioms are difficult to teach because they are not literal and in his newest book, Fowl Play, Travis Nichols has created an awesome book to teach my little monkey the differences between the literal and the figurative.

See my full review at BooksandWhatnot.com

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of animal detectives solves a crime at Mr. Hound's shop by clever deduction. What's charming here is the use of idioms throughout the book. But in this case, each idiom--for instance, "there's something fishy going on"--is offensive to one of the animal detectives. Word lovers will find this to be quite amusing, and the book might be ideal for sharing with someone just learning the English language. The illustrations, created in pencil on paper and then digitally colored, resemble the panels in a comic book, adding to the book's appeal for young readers.

[Candace Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute way to introduce idioms to young students in a picture book.

[Mary Luzader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This "idiom-tastic" book is clever at times (see the page when the detectives are being introduced), but is often a little heavy handed. It didn't live up to my expectations, but overall, not a bad book.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gumshoe Zoo Detective Agency takes the case of the broken window. This beginning comic/ picture book is infused with idioms making it a good teaching point although they are really forced. Gr. 2-3

[Dorcas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun for younger kids to learn about popular (particularly animal focused) idioms. I do feel like these kids would need to be a little familiar with the meanings, otherwise these jokes will just go over their heads.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A quick read and one that reads more like a graphic novel than a pciture book. Chock full of idioms that would be interesting to explain to an older child. You forget how often and how easily we use idioms, which would be confusing to a child or a non-English speaker. A fun read.

[Karen Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gumshoe Zoo Detective Agency takes the case of the broken window. Nichols infuses the dialogue with playful idioms. This is an ESOL teacher's dream book to pair with a lesson on idioms.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

focus on idioms in a graphic novel style

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uhhh, well, I'm torn. I loved the idioms! But, the story "crime" wasn't very good. It seems like the next one will be using oxymorons to tell the story. I'd like to see that.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun book of idioms will tickle parents and kids alike!