The Case of the Climbing Cat

The High-Rise Private Eyes #2

by Cynthia Rylant, G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)

Paperback

Genres: Mystery, Picture Books, Childrens, 1st Grade, Chapter Books, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

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

[Sarah Sammis]

The Case of the Climbing Cat is the second of the High Rise Private Eyes series by Cynthia Rylant. If you are like me, you know the title from the Backyardigans's episode: "The Masked Retriever" which aired near the end of the 2008-9 season.

Years before "The Masked Retriever" (by far my favorite episode) I received The Case of the Climbing Cat in a box of books. I registered the book on Bookcrossing and added it to my BTC database. I promptly forgot about it because my children were too young at the time for chapter books. When Don Austin had the book checked out and Tasha really wanted it my son asked it was a real book. My off the cuff response was "I doubt it" but I decided to check anyway. Imagine my surprise when I realized we owned a copy!

The plot is straight forward. It's a typical chapter book mystery, similar in level of difficulty to the Encyclopedia Brown books but with a better sense of humor.

Bunny Brown and Jack Jones share a high rise apartment where they run a small detective agency. For their second case (of nine) a neighbor saw someone run of with her binoculars and wants them back.

There's a twist behind the how and why of the binoculars' disappearance. As it's a short book I won't spoil the ending for you.

[Becky]

First sentence: Bunny liked her balcony. She tried to get Jack to sit on it. "No, thanks," he always said.

Premise/plot: Bunny and Jack are the detective team in Cynthia Rylant's early chapter book mystery series. The book opens with the two eating Chinese take-out. A neighbor screams out THIEF. Her binoculars have been stolen. Can Bunny and Jack follow the clues and find the thief?

My thoughts: I enjoy the series. But this series is not as enjoyable--as delightful--of some of the other series by Cynthia Rylant. I prefer Poppleton and Mr. Putter and Tabby! But I am so glad I'm taking the time to read all of her books! I really enjoy the dialogue in all of her books.

If the book was truly a mystery, then the title would not give away who did it. Granted, the series is aimed at young readers and should be easy and obvious to solve. But still.

[Faith]

Read by/to our 7 year old. Her review:
"I picked this out because it's about a cat but I liked all of the characters. I want to be an artist but sometimes, I think about being a detective when I grow up, like Sherlock. This was kind of like that. I had to have some help reading it because it's pretty long and I got tired; it's like 50 pages!! Maybe I'll read it again tomorrow!"

[Kyoungbin Min]

1. No awards
2. 4-8 years
3. Bunny and Jack solve cases together and they hear a scream of Miss Nancy who lives downstairs. They work together to solve the problem and catch the cat who stole binoculars. They figure out that the cat never meant to steal it so four of them go and have a Chinese dinner together.
4. This book shows a great partnership of those two animals. I like how Bunny and Jack have very different personalities-animalities in this case?
5. Individual reading time

[Nikki]

This was a huge hit with my four year old. This was just long enough to feel like a “big girl” book but short enough to be able to finish it in one sitting. I will definitely be checking out more in this series. The only annoying thing personally was not having defined paragraphs. At times I would have to look ahead to see if the same character was still talking or if it was a different one.

[Alex]

I enjoyed this book because I like birds. I also enjoyed this book because I liked the part when they found out that the cat actually was borrowing Miss.Nancy's binoculars.

[Alisha]

Someone stole Miss Nancy's binoculars and the high-rise private eyes are on the case. I liked this little mystery but I wish that there was more for kids to figure out the mystery on their own.

[Aubrey]

My kids weren’t quite as engaged in this one as other ones. It has good sight words for early readers.

[Chloe M]

Modern Fantasy
2nd Grade
"The High-Rise Private Eyes" were some of my very favorite books and after rereading this one I was reminded why. It's silly with cute characters who work together to crack the mysterious case. This is a great one for readers moving towards chapter books.

[Dolly]

This is a fun mystery and our girls enjoyed it. The interaction between Bunny Brown and Jack Jones is as entertaining as the mystery itself. We enjoyed reading this story together and we will look for more of the books in the High-Rise Private Eyes series at our local library.

[Amy]

Bea says that detective stories just really aren't her thing. Not really the book's fault, of course. She says one star.

I didn't think it was bad but there wasn't much too it. Good for a first chapter book series I guess. The illustrations were cute.

[Edward Creter]

MURDER! MAYHEM! SEX!...None of which apply here thank God! It's a kids' mystery, duuh! Bunny and Jack are back in style and tracking a cat thru the mean streets! This cat has robbed a set of binoculars and the dynamic duo of both rabbit and fox are gettin it back! Very cute.

[B]

The High-rise private eyes series is hilarious. The proper female rabbit and her off-the-wall raccoon friend solve mysteries involving their neighbors and friends. Very cute...kept in JE

[Schmobes]

Good level 4. Bigger vocabulary than the level 3 books, that is why I leveled it at 4. Kiddo likes detective stories, this series is great.

[Seth]

The cat stole the binoculars because he was a bird watcher. Jack didn't want to go to the top of the building because he was afraid of heights.

[Kaethe]

Adult readers will solve the mystery by page 2. Eight year olds by chapter 2. Early readers will love it.