Richard Scarry's The Great Pie Robbery and Other Mysteries

by Richard Scarry

Meet Sam Cat and Dudley Pig, detectives: They find fingerprints and search for clues. They catch robbers. They delight young readers with their antics! Whenever the criminals strike Richard Scarry’s two endearing animal sleuths are ready to go—and in this treasury they’re out to catch some pie thieves, nab a supermarket shoplifter who finds an ingenious way to sneak out his goodies, and seize the bad guys who swiped some pearls. What kids will love most, though, are the madcap, slapstick-filled pictures; adorable animal characters; and the engaging (but sometimes clueless) heroes who dress up in a hilarious series of disguises.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Mystery, Animals, Comedy

104 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2008

About the author

RICHARD SCARRY is one of the world's best-loved children's authors EVER! In his extraordinary career, Scarry illustrated over 150 books, many of which have never been out of print. His books have sold over 100 million copies around the world, and are currently published in over twenty languages. No other illustrator has shown such a lively interest in the words and concepts of early childhood. Richard Scarry was posthumously awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Illustrators in 2012.

Reviews

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam and Dudley are two detectives, and this trio of stories about them will introduction children to the genre of crime mysteries. In the first, they track down the no-goods who robbed Ma Dog's pie bakery; in the second they solve the mystery of who has been stealing groceries from Grocer Dog's store. In the third they cleverly trap the bandits who have stolen Mrs. Pig's wedding pearls.

Through careful sleuthing, with some slapstick humor and exciting action, the two detectives solve the three mysteries in a methodical way, finding and following clues and exemplifying the importance of being aware of one's surroundings. Unlike most of the Richard Scarry books I have seen so far, while the illustrations are very interesting and detailed, the story is actually carried by the text, making this book a better read-aloud than (for example) Cars and Trucks and Things That Go.

This is a perfect crime story for young children. The villains are one-dimensional crooks who masquerade as regular citizens -- evil enough to provide suspense in the conflict between them and the detectives, but not so evil that they will frighten readers. The detectives are intelligent and likable, and their methods and disguises are quite funny.

Most of the old Richard Scarry books have become collectibles, making them expensive to acquire. This one was republished in 2008 and is again widely available.

[Mark Mancuso]

Carefully scrutinize bags of potatoes...

[Preciosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My nephew loves this book and I’ve been enjoying reading it to him. The stories and pictures both are entertaining and enjoyable over and over.

[Dianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of three silly mysteries has been a favorite of all three of my children. It's just perfect for five-year-olds who are starting to get a slightly longer attention span.

[Freyja Vanadis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember reading this book over 40 years ago and loving it, both the story and the pictures.

[Sara Hollar · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 2 boys, ages 5 & 3, absolutely loved this book! It is made of 3 longer stories, where 2 detectives solve mysteries in the world of Richard Scarry. The stories were silly & had us all giggling. The pictures were classic Richard Scarry with silly happenings hidden all over the page. My, boys couldn't get enough and I had to read it while I was making breakfast. Then, of course, we had to act them out. This was great & I would love to find similar books!

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tämä salapoliisikertomus oli koko perheen mieleinen lukemiskokemus. Minusta oli erityisen hauska seurata lasten eläytymistä salapoliisin rooliin; voi kuinka lapset innostuivat kertomaan kuka roisto on ja kenen jäljet lattialla olivatkaan!
Richard Scarryn kirjat ovat minulle itselleni tuttuja jo omasta lapsuudesta.

[Sanna lukee lapselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tämä saattoi olla enemmän aikuisten kuin lapsen mieleen. Kirjassa on sekä kuvituksessa että tekstissä paljon hauskoja yksityiskohtia, joista kaikki eivät välttämättä aukea ihan pienille lapsille. Nimensä mukaisesti kirjassa jahdataan piirakkarosvoja. Tarina on aika pitkä, mutta ei pelottava, joten sopii luettavaksi monen ikäisille. Uusia yksityiskohtia avautuu iän myötä enemmän.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had The great our robbery and The supermarket mystery as a child and only in my *ahem* older years wondered if he’d written more Sam Cat and Dudley Pig adventures. I just adore the artwork and the attention to detail and little bugs and lowly worm dotted around.

So I found The Great Steamboat Mystery in this 3-compendium. Really recommend for children of all ages!!

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

enqi said " I like it because I like to look for secrets of footprints in the story of Pie thief."

[Veronika Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel this one's a little wordy and laborious. But the stories are cute, and hey, it's Richard Scarry.

[vivii]

It really was a great pie robbery

[Deidra Chamberlain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Richard Scary’s computer game growing up, but I can’t get into the books for some reason as and adult. My kids felt were meh about it too, so I felt disappointed.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m craving cherry pie after reading the Great Pie Robbery.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is genius- It has sarcasm, slapstick, and wit- It has the basic elements of a mystery story for kids as young as four- It entertains adults and kids alike. I laugh at it every year when I read it to four-year-old kindergarten during mystery week. Pay close attention to Scarry's illustrations- so amusing.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of three mysteries told a la Richard Scarry style. Sam Cat and Dudley Pig are called on by the good citizens of BusyTown to seek out and capture various law breakers (all thieves in these cases).

Fun, detailed illustrations.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book each little mysterie is so fun as you read them to the liitle ones you soon have the bigger kids gathered around to.

[Maren Prestegaard · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is very vintage. and the story might be great to follow in a couple of years.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun! Didn't have this one as a child, but my boys love all three stories. The supermarket robbery is probably the best, but all are enjoyable.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredibly silly. Classic Richard Scarry.

[Tapani Aulu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vähän isommalle sopivaa "salapoliisitarinaa" jonka yksityiskohtia täynnä olevat kuvat oli vähän liiankin touhukkaita vielä 1-vuotiaalle.