Flatfoot Fox and the Case of the Missing Schoolhouse

Flatfoot Fox #5

by Eth Clifford, Brian Lies (Illustrator)

Detective Flatfoot Fox is baffled when Principal Porcupine enlists his help to find the missing Old Country Schoolhouse, and joins forces with his able assistant, Secretary Bird, to follow the clues and recover the stolen building.

Genres: Picture Books, Mystery

47 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 1997

About the author

Eth Clifford was born in New York City in 1915. She and her husband, David Rosenberg, started David-Stewart Publishing Company. Her first book for children was published in 1959 and since that time she wrote numerous books for children and young adults. She was also known as Eth (or Ethel) Clifford Rosenberg, and as published under the name Ruth Bonn Penn, and with her husband under David Clifford. Eth Clifford died in 2003

Reviews

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Principal Porcupine has a big problem. His new schoolhouse is missing, and school starts in two weeks. While Secretary Bird shakes his head in disbelief, Flatfoot Fox gets down to business. He suspects that the principal knows who did it, and he is right. Principal Porcupine tells them that when he laughed at Wacky Weasel's wacked-up magic tricks, Wacky threatened to get even by making the schoolhouse disappear. On the way to the sight, they pass the sign that says, "To The Old Country Schoolhouse." Flatfoot notices that the sign is crooked. Believable Badger and Smelly Skunk come, and each claims responsibility. Wacky Weasel is incensed that they would dare steal the credit for the school's disappearance. Wacky "dee-double-dares" Flatfoot to make the school reappear, and, to everyone's amazement, Flatfoot claims that there never was a school in the clearing where they are all standing. When asked how he arrived at that astonishing conclusion, Flatfoot tells them that the crooked sign holds the key.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a chore to get through. I read it aloud to my daughter (5) didn't like some of the alliterative names I had to keep repeating. Usually I like alliteration, but maybe I just found the characters annoying as well, so it was all-around a pain. Daffy Armadillo was a character meant to offer comic relief, which we didn't find funny, and he served no other point. Anyway, I see that others have given it higher marks, so maybe they saw something I didn't.

[Hillvan]

350L