Pipsie, Nature Detective: Turtle Trouble

PreS-Gr 2—In her third outing, nature-loving Pipsie must uncover the mystery of her turtle Alfred's bumpy, sticky, smelly foot. What kind of insect could have bitten him? Armed with her backpack, magnifying glass, and trusty nature notebook, Pipsie sets out with Alfred to look for clues. Pipsie provides facts about each insect they encounter and explains why it could not be the culprit. When Alfred inadvertently reenacts an event from earlier in the day, Pipsie is able to put the visual clues and her knowledge of insects together to solve the mystery. Likable and enthusiastic Pipsie uses methodical, scientific exploration to find her answer—even charting how each insect's characteristics factor into her search. The illustrations are large and bright, and Pipsie looks determined yet cheerful in a pink hat, pink shirt, and purple pants. A minor quibble is that Pipsie initially tells Alfred he needs to take a bath before they can go investigating, and Alfred is seen before a tub filled with water and toys. Later, he is pictured with grass still sticking to his foot, and the spider they meet calls him "a sticky-stinky turtle." However, Alfred should be clean until he reenacts the event that solves the mystery. A page of fun nature facts is appended.