The Web Files

Title: The Web Files
Category: Picture Book
Grades: 5-7 years
Author: Margie Palatini
Illustrator: Richard Egielski
Publisher: Hyperion
Date: 2001

Summary:

Ducktectives Web and Bill are on the case of the missing peck of purple pickled peppers.  The trail leads them to more missing vegetables including a load of leafy lettuce and a tub of tart, tasty tomatoes.  Finally, they track down That Dirty Rat and have him hauled to jail for stealing vegetables and having bad hygiene.

Review:

The story is recorded as a detective's log, with short descriptions organized by the time of day at which they occurred.  Not only is it full of alliteration and silly puns, it fractures most of the common nursery rhymes kindergarteners are likely to be familiar with, and turns them into hilarious additions to the story.  The plot involves multiple characters and a more convoluted storyline that will appeal to kindergarteners.  It makes a wonderful introduction to fractured tales, and older children, whose sense of humor is more developed will be able to appreciate this element fully.  The illustrations are painted with a warm palette and some contain a lot of background detail based on the text and will appeal to older children looking for more visual interest in their books.