The Case of the Missing Eyebrow

by Chris Lam Sam, Angela Keoghan (Illustrator)

The Case of the Missing Eyebrow

Genres: Picture Books, Mystery, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 3, 2017

Reviews

[KP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspector Brunswick-The Case of the Missing Eyebrows is written by Angela Keoghan and illustrated by Chris Sam Lam. It is a children's Mystery book featuring Inspector Brunswick (a cat), a detective. One day, he walks into the museum with his sidekick Nelson (a dog), and is greeted by the community's worried faces. Unfortunately, they noticed that the portrait of the General's eyebrows had gone missing, sending everyone into a frenzy, including Inspector Brunswick, who searches high and low for the brows with no luck. Finally, he uses a microscope to better look at the portrait and notices small footprints, giving them a lead on their search. Eventually, they catch the corporate, but it is not whom they expect. Keoghan creates suspense and mystery through repetition, reader participation, and drawing on the themes of chaos and determination to solve the mystery and put the eyebrow back to where it rightfully belongs.

Children will love Inspector Brunswick. It is a fun and interactive mystery book that encourages children to guess and play along with the characters where the eyebrows escaped. This book will not only be enjoyable for children, but they can also learn from it. Depending on a child's reading level and ability, many vocabulary words such as under, upside-down, and microscope are present so that they can familiarize themselves with the vocabulary. In addition, parents and educators can use some of these more complex words to create a fun and interactive reading experience. Overall, the content teaches children that asking questions and being curious is good. Furthermore, the author had a good grasp of the topic and was able to deliver a book that many children would enjoy.

I would categorize "Inspector Brunswick-The Case of the Missing Eyebrows" as a WOW book because there are lots of learning moments, from the number of words the children could learn to analyze the illustrations, which, when looked at closely, shows what we do not see at first glance. Additionally, Inspector Brunswick is an adorable and pleasant detective who has the best interest of his community and goes above and beyond to solve the mystery.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspector Brunswick: Case of the Missing Eyebrow. Angela Keoghan. Illustrated by Chris Sam Lam. 2017. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: After a long week of solving cases, Inspector Brunswick, the world's greatest cat detective, and his loyal assistant Nelson were taking a well-deserved break at the art museum.

Premise/plot: Inspector Brunswick is a cat detective; Nelson is the dog assistant or sidekick. These two find a mystery at the art museum. An eyebrow from one of the paintings is missing. Who could have taken it? And why?

My thoughts: I wanted to love this one because it stars a cat AND it is a mystery as well. Unfortunately, I didn't find myself loving it. Not every book has to be a love, of course. One fun thing I did enjoy about this one is that the works of art interact with the story. When the eyebrow goes missing, ALL the paintings react. One painting is of a mother and child: she's covering his eyes from the horror of it all.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

K- Gr 2- During a visit to the museum, the great cat detective Brunswick, and his dog assistant Nelson, stumble upon a painting which is mysteriously missing an eyebrow. Did it fall off? Was it stolen? The clues have the determined pair slinking over portraits, and crawling all around the floor, as they try to figure it out. Readers will find the unexpected truth, and its resulting happy ending absolutely delightful. The story's British-type whimsy is all-encompassing. The art looks almost like it is made from cut pieces of paper; these are given character through brushstrokes, patterns, and textures. Characters also have fairly static expressions that hilariously contrast with the writing. For the author, it isn’t enough to say that the crowd was shocked, when “gasps of horror” sounds so much more thrilling and funny. Straight-faced exaggerations such as this are what makes this book so funny. VERDICT With its absurd premise for a mystery, Inspector Brunswick turns out to be a rather funny and creative story for all ages.

* reviewed for School Library Journal

[Mari]

I was a little confused by The Admiral's painting. Was he painted without one of his eyebrows? Why were people shocked to see him like that, then? Shouldn't they have been shocked the day before when he did have a fake eyebrow?

Also, I feel that everyone feels the caterpillar should automatically get his own exhibit because (poor him) is little and doesn't get attention... but aren't there consequences for him painting over another painting (did he actually paint over it, or was it meant to just indicate he positioned himself over it?)

Also, I wished the caterpilar wasn't on a painting depicting a naked baby/cupid.

I did like that the other paintings are looking at The Admiral with an expression of surprise or horror. The painting of the mom covering her son's eyes is funny.

I might be overthinking it all.

[Anya McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I might be biased, but I heard the author read this book aloud, and I found it absolutely enagaging. Chris Lam Sam and Angela Keoghan have teamed up to create a book that combines all my favourite elements: mystery, culture, humour and artistic flair. It's easy to see why this book has taken off with children around the world.

[Sadina Shawver · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I was worried this would be too long for my Storytime. It was a pretty big hit, though! Having the kids guess who the tiny feet belonged to was fun. Nice, solid mystery story in picture book form.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the review from the podcast Even The Trunchbull, so I found myself a copy. Fun book, nice twist on sherlock holmes and watson, and a good look at art appreciation and conflict resolution. I like humor and gentle morals in my picture books.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a little strange, but it was still okay. A man in a painting loses an eyebrow, and a detective is on the case. I definitely did not see the ending coming. I enjoyed the artwork of all the animals, and also all the expressions of the other paintings.

[Hayley Etter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is hilarious! Even as an adult, I was incredibly amused by the humor. Art is beautiful, and it's super creative.

[Katrina Clohessy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny story about a cat detective who solves a mystery at a museum concerning a missing eyebrow. 30 pages

[Joy Keil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun story, good illustrations, cute ending. 2 pages folded out which can be good...or might get ripped by little hands - but overall, we all enjoyed this story!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderfully weird. I enjoyed the mystery with a completely unexpected outcome. The wrap up wasn't completely satisfying, but the art and idea were well worth the read.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A picture book about the world’s greatest cat detective had us interested right from the start. This is a fresh offering from an award winning author and illustrator pair from NZ. Once Inspector Brunswick and his able assistant Nelson (a dog) realise that there is something wrong with the portrait of The Admiral they immediately set off on an adventure to track down the missing eyebrow. They look in all sorts of places, using disguises and following clues as they take a look at all the unique and subtle differences in works of art. Readers will be very impressed with their powers of deduction and reasoning. This is the first mystery in the Inspector Brunswick series and we can’t wait to see what mysteries the pair solve next time.