The Case Of The Fidgety Fox (An I Can Read Book, Level 2: the High-Rise Private Eyes)

The High-Rise Private Eyes #6

by Cynthia Rylant, G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)

When the fluffy dice of Melvin the bus driver disappear, Bunny and Jack, two animal detectives, investigate the case.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Picture Books, Humor, Chapter Books, Animals

58 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Cynthia Rylant is an American author, poet, and librarian whose deeply felt books for children and young adults have made her one of the most beloved voices in contemporary literature. Writing across picture books, novels, short stories, nonfiction, and poetry, she has published more than one hundred works, many of them rooted in memory, family, solitude, and the emotional landscapes of ordinary life. Her fiction often draws from her upbringing in West Virginia and reflects the textures of Appalachian life with unusual tenderness and clarity.
Raised in modest circumstances, Rylant spent much of her childhood with her grandparents in a rural setting that later became central to her imagination as a writer. Those early years, marked by hardship as well as warmth, shaped the emotional honesty and quiet resilience that define her work. She later studied English and library science, and after working as a waitress, librarian, and teacher, she began publishing books inspired by the world she had known so intimately.
Among her most acclaimed works are Missing May, which received the Newbery Medal, and A Fine White Dust, a Newbery Honor Book. She also earned Caldecott Honors for When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came. For younger readers, she became especially well known through the enduring Henry and Mudge series, as well as other popular books and series that combine gentleness, humor, and emotional depth.
Rylant's writing is distinguished by its compassion for lonely, searching, or overlooked characters, and by its reverence for animals, nature, and small human connections. Whether writing about grief, wonder, childhood, or belonging, she brings a lyrical simplicity that resonates across generations. Her books continue to offer comfort, recognition, and beauty to readers of all ages. She remains a singular literary presence in children's literature and beyond today.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: On Saturday Bunny did her yoga. Bunny did yoga every Saturday. When she was finished, she called Jack. "You're missing all the cartoons," Jack said. "Yes, but I am very, very calm," said Bunny. "Mighty Monkey is trapped," said Jack. "I'm too calm to care," said Bunny. "He's in a room full of gardenias," said Jack," And he's allergic." "Really?" said Bunny. "That's not good." "I know," said Jack. He's sneezing to high heaven." "Goodness," said Bunny.

Premise/plot: Bunny and Jack are as different as can be. But they have a few things in common. They love chips--the ruffly kind--and dip. They love detecting. In this one, Bunny and Jack eat a lot of chips in an effort to get calm...and stay calm. IT is when they are out "exercising" off those chips that they discover a new case.

Someone has stolen the bus driver's lucky fuzzy dice? He won't drive without those dice. And there are a lot of angry people who depend on the bus to get where they are going. Can Bunny and Jack solve the case and discover the thief?!

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I especially enjoyed the illustrations. Readers see Bunny when she's agitated and stressed out and when she's super-calm. The story is silly. Would someone really, truly get that worked up over the "dangers" facing cartoon characters? Especially if this is all word-of-mouth. But then I think about it in this way. Haven't I got upset over the "dangers" facing characters in books?! So maybe it's not ridiculously silly. Are chips the answer to anyone's stress? They shouldn't be. Though realistically, I would say many people DO turn to food as a coping mechanism.

I enjoy spending time with Bunny and Jack.

[CTWard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent primary reader mystery for ages 6/7 to 9. Many sight words are used in the story dialogue, but the story itself is choppy and in some parts do not make sense in regards to building the plot.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable mystery book for early readers. The chapters are short, but are not so patterned. The characters are funny and I think both boys and girls will enjoy this story.

[ms.obrien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery. I think that this is a good text and that the series would be an awesome introduction to chapter books as well as the genre of mystery. I also think that students would love to have these books in a classroom library. I would include it in a library for second or third grade. While the text itself isn't too difficult, I think it would be a good way to ease students into chapter books. The drawings are cute and the stories from the series are fun!
Be forewarned though, this book encourages eating chips for emotional comfort. Something, I must note because I am a suffer of this craving at any stage of the day and I definitely wanted to eat some chips and cheesy dip afterwards!

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perhaps I'm being overly picky, but I didn't like that Bunny & Jack were relying on food (potato chips) to calm down and relax... Also, the reasoning process wasn't as clearly explained in this one (which I only point out as a drawback because I find the opposite as a strength in many of the other books in this series).

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our girls enjoy the books in the High-Rise Private Eyes series; short mysteries that are simple and somewhat silly. The interaction between Jack and Bunny is very similar to the way siblings interact - cooperation interspersed with squabbling and arguments.

[Edward Creter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bunny and Jimmy are of to solve the disappearance of two fuzzy dice. Curiouser and curiouser.