Sophie Johnson, Unicorn Expert, Is a Detective Genius

Sophie Johnson, Unicorn Expert

by Morag Hood, Ella Okstad (Illustrator)

Sophie Johnson studied very hard to become a detective and it's a good thing she did – there has been a terrible crime!

Someone has stolen Lion's tail. Unfortunately, this means that Sophie doesn't have time to train her new (and not very good) assistant, Bella.

However, is it possible that, while Sophie is busy rounding up suspects, she doesn't see that Bella may be better than she thinks?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Mystery, Humor, Animals, Dogs, Unicorns

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 6, 2020

About the author

"I'm an award-winning children's book author and illustrator from Edinburgh. I love making up stories, print-making and cutting and sticking. My favourite things to draw are eyebrows.

I have an MA in Children's Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art and a BA in Costume Design from Wimbledon College of Art. I used to work in theatre, but now spend my days in my Edinburgh studio with views of the hills.

One day I will manage to write a book about my very favourite animal - the duck.

I am represented by Paul Moreton at Bell Lomax Moreton."

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the first Sophie Johnson book much better than this one.

Sophie's still oblivious, and there is a unicorn in here, but... it's mainly a story about her dog, Bella. While Sophie is trying to solve a "crime", Bella has already solved it. And the dog also manages to thwart three burglars at the same time.

I did not like the burglar aspect. Sophie and her baby sibling are at home, seemingly alone, when three men break in. I don't care that they're dressed like elves; it's still creepy (perhaps more creepy because they're dressed like elves)! Rather than doing what a child should do in such a situation (call 911), Sophie is shown being completely oblivious while the men break into the house. Bella catches them, but in an unrealistic way involving banana peels and cookware. I'm not sure what the message is supposed to be here, and making light of a terrifying situation seems a little irresponsible.

The schtick worked in the first book where Sophie was oblivious about the unicorn in her own house. (The same unicorn is here, and she still seems not to have noticed!) But being oblivious about home invaders? That just doesn't work in a children's book.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Gelezen voor master Jeugdliteratuur)

[Rob Zakowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

She's a terrible detective

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like the first book in this series, but I did enjoy this one! Sophie is convinced that she is a detective genius, and tells the reader all about her skills and accomplishments. Meanwhile, a dual storyline plays out where her dog is the real detective, while she is totally unaware of what was is going on behind her. This was clever and interesting, and her obliviousness was much more convincing and funny here than it was in the first book.

[Nienkethepanda | dauntlesswxzard.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sophie Johnson: Detective Genius is a funny short story about a girl that desperately wants to be a detective and feels she does everything in her power to achieve that. The book is very colourful and optimistic and just generally feels very cozy as well.
What I liked most about this book is the discrepancy between text and images and the irony that is created by that. Sophie's optimism and confidence mainly creates this irony. She lives in her own reality and I think that it's a great thing for children to read about her, because she does not care about the rest and focuses on herself. She wants to achieve something, so she completely goes for it.
Apart from Sophie, I really love the dog! She has both dog- and human-like characteristics and this creates very funny situations.
Lastly, I want to mention the intertextuality, because there are all sorts of detective and other English stories mentioned in the book and I just think it's a very nice addition to the story than just having 'empty' books on the shelves.

[Tayler K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected. First of all, I didn't realize it was a sequel, and there was hardly any unicorn stuff happening in this book. :(

I also did not like the plot. Sophie is being a detective looking for lion's missing tail and spends the whole book talking about how her dog, Bella, is not any good at detecting. Of course, in the illustrations, we see Bella solving the mystery, catching the criminals, and getting an award from the police.

Sophie never realizes that Bella has been working all along and solved the crime! Sophie is just self-absorbed and rude and doesn't learn anything or apologize.

I did like the colors, the abundance of books, and the background presence of the unicorn and the cat.

[Susan Rose]

Perfect K -1 group reading experience. Friendly illustrations and a joyous wit that will delight children when they realize that there is a glorious disconnect between the oblivious narrator and the action revealed by the pictures. Excellent opportunity to have students report on evidence and observation, precisely the detective skills that Sophie values most. A fun read which deserves extension activities for young students.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book about a little girl who wants to be a detective and her dog who she says can’t do anything. While she is solving pretend cases and telling us how useless the dog is, he is quietly catching robbers in the background.

[Dena Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think kids will get a kick out of this book. I can just hear them yelling about the burglars and other things going on in the book. This is the first Sophie Johnson Unicorn Expert book I have read. I think I'll have to check out the other books by Morag Hood.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny

[A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

As one of those books where the illustrations tell a story different from the text, it's fine. Good for dog lovers and somewhat oblivious children.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable picture book in vivid, rainbow colors!

[Stephani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute but definitely requires a picture walk. You can’t just read the words to get the story. You need to point out what’s going on in the pictures (not a bad thing but not everyone knows to do this).

[Michelle Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a cute enough book, but I didn't understand why she was a unicorn expert.

[Delonna Gibbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book that keeps the kiddos engaged- check out Sophie Johnson. Great mystery

[Tiffany May Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for teaching context clues!!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great visual antics as the story plays out, making this a book to really watch and listen too, because there is far more going on than might first appear.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story about an oblivious human who thinks she's a detective and her dog who actually is one. Although there is a unicorn stuffed animal in the background, it doesn't play a role in the story.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think a super arrogant narrator who has no idea what's actually going on and never learns she's wrong is super annoying, so I did not like this book.

[Elijah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mom loved this one, I struggled to pay attention

[Devin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like when Bella was a detective 🕵️ but Sophie was a pretend detective 🕵🏼‍♀️.

[Kristin Guay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Through the illustrations, there is a story within the story in this book--I think kids will really get a kick out of this! The story begins with Sophie Johnson declaring that she is a detective genius. She has everything to be a detective--magnifying glass, Sherlock Holmes hat and cape, and several detective books. She does use her dog Bella as her assistant, but she says Bella is not very good at her job. This might be a problem because Sophie and Bella are on a new case. Sophie’s stuffed lion has lost its tail and they are on a mission to find it. While Sophie is arresting suspects and taking fingerprints, Belle has drawn several arrows pointing to the lion’s tail resting on a pillow. Sophie is too busy to notice--even too busy to notice real robbers coming into her home. Fortunately, Bella is on it and she takes care of these robbers. She even earns a medal from the police. All is well and Sophie declares that she is very happy she is a good detective, otherwise there would be criminals everywhere.

The illustrations in this book are hilarious and children will love seeing the story unfolding in the background--this might require a little prompting from a parent or caregiver. Even though robbers do get into the house, Bella does seem to take care of the situation. We do not see any adults, so this might be a little unnerving for some children (and parents). I personally would prefer and children’s book where no adults are sneaking into the house with a small child--not cool! (therefore the lower rating)

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Meet child detective Sophie, determined to figure out wear stuffed animal lion's tail could be. Sophie is not a fan of her dog, Bella's, investigative assistance, sure that Bella is just wasting Sophie's time. Sophie goes on quite the exploration for the culprit, all while Bella solves the mystery in the background and stops real robbers from breaking into the house.

I've never met Sophie Johnson before, so I was disappointed that unicorns did not appear in this book. I'm guessing that is a theme from a past book? Not quite sure why it is included in each title.

[emyrose8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poor Sophie thinks she’s a detective genius, but actually her dog is. Of course, she never notices. She’s too busy solving a crime.

[Pinky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bella is a better detective than Sophie Johnson.

[Stéphanie S. (stephsimlibrarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️