Mitzi Tulane, Preschool Detective in The Secret Ingredient

by Lauren McLaughlin, Debbie Ohi (Illustrator)

Overview

Not even the smallest clue gets past this preschool private eye!


Just as Mitzi is about to enjoy a nice muffin her Dad made, her friend Max stops her in her tracks! He has a sneaking suspicion that there is something funny about this muffin -- so the two of them set off on an investigation...

Kids and parents will laugh along as Mitzi, Max and their friends test the muffin for dodgy ingredients and come to their conclusion. What did Dad put in the muffin after all? Debbie Ohi's bouncy illustrations bring an extra layer of fun to Lauren McLaughlin's clever text.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375981616
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	07/11/2017
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

LAUREN McLAUGHLIN grew up in the small town of Wenham, Massachusetts. After college and a brief flirtation with anthropology, she spent ten years as a screenwriter and movie producer before turning her attention to writing novels and picture books. She lives in London with her husband and daughter. Visit her on the Web at laurenmclaughlin.com.

DEBBIE RIDPATH OHI is a writer and illustrator based in Toronto. She began her career as a computer programmer and analyst, but has since focused on writing and illustrating books for young people. She is the illustrator of Michael Ian Black's picture books I'm Bored and Naked! Visit her on the Web at debbieohi.com.

Editorial Reviews

04/01/2017
PreS-Gr 1—Why would anyone put vegetables in a muffin? Young detectives will enjoy answering this question along with preschool detective Mitzi Tulane. At snack time, Mitzi and her friend Max suspect that Mitzi's father might have included an unusual ingredient in her muffin. Max reveals that his mother sometimes sneaks things like spinach into his food. When Mitzi discovers an unknown morsel in the muffin, she grabs her sidekick, Gigi Gaboo, and their investigation begins. These adorable sleuths make this a fun adventure in which all young listeners can participate. Unable to identify the object in the muffin using a magnifying lens, the detectives consult their two scientific friends in the next apartment. Eventually the morsel is identified by their rabbit, Bun Bun, who promptly eats it. The simple yet expressive illustrations help convey a rollicking good time. VERDICT A great preschool read-aloud for any situation.—Susan Small, Salve Regina University Library, Newport, RI

School Library Journal

2017-04-26
Mitzi Tulane, preschool detective, is back, and this time she's got helpers. Mitzi's friend Max is at her apartment on a play date, and muffins are on the snack menu. Mitzi is a black child with dark brown skin, and Max, with light, pinkish skin and blond hair, appears white like Mitzi's father and baby brother, Kev. When the friends get the muffins, Max warns Mitzi that her dad might've sneaked something into them: "Like…spinach," he whispers. Mitzi is aghast. Max speaks from experience, since his mother has indulged in such vegetable-hiding treachery, and Mitzi decides to investigate. When her magnifying glass can't provide conclusive evidence about a suspicious speck that may or may not be a vegetable, they sneak across the hall, past Mitzi's dad on the phone and the super (a white man called "Tall Dan"), to consult with science-loving Latino twins Juan and Juanita. A microscope is no help, but Bun Bun (their pet rabbit) gobbles up the crumb, leading everyone to conclude that it was a bit of carrot. Juanita writes up a report detailing the lapin expert witness's findings, which the friends share with Tall Dan as they head back to Mitzi's apartment, triumphant. McLaughlin's text is both funny and respectful of its protagonists, while Ohi's colorful, cartoon illustrations ramp up the humor in this story and add visual interest with setting details. A recipe for storytime fun. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews