  | How to catch a clover thief Author: Parsley, Elise | |
| Price: $22.58 | ||
Summary:
When a wild boar with a passion for clover discovers a rare patch in the woods, he is determined to patiently stand guard until it blooms--but he is not the only clover enthusiast in the forest, and it takes reading a good book for him to figure out the mystery.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (12/01/20)
School Library Journal (+) (11/01/20)
Booklist (01/01/21)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/01/21)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 11/01/2020 PreS-Gr 3—In an unassuming forest clearing, Roy, a wild boar, chances upon a patch of clover just on the verge of serving up its scrumptious white blossoms. Lucky Roy lays claim to his newfound clover patch when his bookworm neighbor, Jarvis, the gopher, discreetly shows interest in the rare treat. Jarvis cunningly tempts Roy with books about cooking with clover, campsite construction, and aerospace engineering, distracting Roy from defending the prized clover patch. Much to Roy's surprise, little by little, the clover patch slowly disappears. How will Roy catch this sly thief before all of his clover vanishes? By visiting the library for the right book to plan his course of action! Parsley (If You Ever Want To Bring an Alligator to School, Don't!), in a style reminiscent of Ryan T. Higgins's Mother Bruce, plays with the text to deliver immersive screwball cartoon humor. The hilarious antics of boar and gopher devouring books in order to outsmart each other make for a playful read-aloud for early elementary students. VERDICT An engaging and humorous first purchase, equal parts read-aloud and laugh-out-loud.—Emily Brush, Novi P. L., MI - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 01/01/2021 With one major, climactic exception, most of the significant action in this clever clover conundrum takes place between the page turns. Despite Roy the boar’s best efforts to guard a prized clover patch about to burst into delicious bloom, it mysteriously, infuriatingly keeps shrinking! Surely Jarvis the gopher, helpfully trotting in with a clover cookbook, a guide to camping, and even an offer to help with guard duties (while reading from an aerospace-engineering textbook) can’t be the culprit? When Roy wakes up to find the patch is gone, he snatches up a visibly plumper Jarvis and snarls that he knows exactly what to do. Confounding the expectations of Jon Klassen fans, not to mention those of the terrified rodent, he then marches away to get a book of his own. Parsley places her anthropomorphic but easily recognizable rivals in a pleasant woodsy setting, but concocts a wonderful assemblage of cogs, wheels, springs, and slides on her way to the explosive conclusion. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.
