The Case of the Missing Donut
PreS-Gr 1-The "sheriff"-a little boy in a cowboy hat, and his "deputy"-a small dog, are bringing home some donuts from the bakery. When the child opens the box to check on them, he can't resist the temptation and eats a "smushed" one just "to even it up." Convinced that his misdeed will go unnoticed, he doesn't realize that he has powdered sugar all over his face. To his great (and very humorous) consternation, everyone he meets on the way home appears to know his secret. Are they mind readers? With the help of his parents, his pup, and a mirror, he finally learns the truth. Roxas's digitally colored, cartoonlike illustrations are funny and expressive, with almost cinematic angle and zoom changes. McGhee's text serves as the perfect counterpoint to the pictures, keeping the hero clueless while allowing the audience to be in on the joke. The "truth will out" moral of this tale is subtle, since the boy's guilt serves as a punishment of sorts instead of any overt redress by his parents. Nevertheless, the story can be used as a jumping-off point to discuss honesty, responsibility, and trustworthiness, or paired with Laurie Keller's Arnie, the Doughnut (Holt, 2003) for a less-serious and tasty storytime. A fun addition to most collections, especially where snack-themed stories are in high demand.-Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NYα(c) Copyright 2013.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.