Customer Reviews

Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation

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4 star:		(1)
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In Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School, 2002, Ike the dog wrote plaintive letters describing his life "behind bars." He hopes his owner, Mrs. LaRue, will come to rescue him from obedience school. The wonderful humor came from the clever story and illustrations. The reader can compare colorful reality with Ike's black and white point of view.

In his new book Ike is writing letters to Mrs. LaRue again while she is on vacation in Europe. This time he is a suspect in the disappearance of the Hibbins cats. Feeling completely misjudged, Ike mails his owner pleas and updates from the police station where he has been taken into custody. Forced to flee and on the lam, he attempts to solve the mystery of the cats' disappearance as well as a series of canary burglaries. Once again the detailed illustrations and articles from the Snort City Register/Gazette hold the key to the story and the laughs. This book is a very entertaining sequel. This is a must-read for fans of Ike!

I read this jail breaking book called Detective LaRue. Two cats ran away from their home and a dog named Ike gets blamed. There is a jumbo sized dilemma but I can't tell you. The police are working on another case so Ike takes it into his own hand, I mean paw. You have to read the rest to find out what happens.

I like this book because Ike dreams funny things like that he is in jail when he was with a nice police.

I recommend this book to anyone because it is funny and good.

If you are like me, after reading Dear Mrs. La Rue: Letters From Obedience School, where Ike LaRue , our manipulative dog friend keeps his owner, Mrs. LaRue informed of his trials and tribulations while being locked up in obedience school, you had to wonder what happened to this spoiled, bright, and tale telling dog after his return home.

Well in this sequel we find the immediate answer. Ike, the pampered pooch is accused in the disappearance of the two neighbor cats and is arrested as he is found in the local park with an empty bag of cat treats hanging from his mouth.

The author has used the same techniques that he used in his first book; actually a combination of techniques. First the have the most untruthful letters Ike writes to his owner as she is vacationing in Europe. These letters are half truths, full blown exaggerations, and all put Ike's unique "spin" on reality. This is coupled with color paintings along with black and white paintings. Now Ike, in his first letter to Mrs. LaRue tells her to ignore the color pictures as they are false and complete police propaganda to show him in a bad light...she should only judge him by the back and white pictures.

The author then gives us, on each page, Ike's letters, a color painting of reality and a black and white picture of Ike's spin and take as a contrast. An example of this is near the front of the book where we find our canine criminal setting in the police station eating donuts, drinking coffee, writing his letters and playing cards with the police, which is contrasted by the black and white picture (in Ike's mind and letter) of him setting is a filthy dungeon cell with a rat as he plays a harmonica and drinks from a tin cup.

Ike of course escapes the clutches of the evil police and begins a journey through the city to clear his "good name." He knows the cats are evil and is out to prove it once and for all. Mix this with the mysterious plague of missing birds in the city, and Ike finds he has his hands full....I mean paws.

These books; this book, is absolutely hilarious. Reading the letters the dog writes and comparing them to the reality of the situation is an absolute hoot.

Not only is the text funny, but the illustrations are true gems. The facial expression of the cats in this work alone are worth the read. Kids love these stories of Ike LaRue, but I must say that I have yet to meet an adult that did not like them just as well as the child. If you are a dog lover then this and the other books in the series are almost a must. Anyone who has ever been owned by a dog and manipulated by a dog, will instantly recognize there own pet on these pages.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

My children 6,5,and 3 love Pigsty, another Mark Teague story, and I love the illustrations. And the illustrations, and original story line are great in this book also, but as I read it to my children, I wondered: what age group is this written for? Sometimes I wonder if childrens publishers every bother reading these manuscripts to a child? By the time my daughter understands what "dire," "intrepid," and "apparent" mean, she will be beyond picture books. And these three words were on just one page. I love when books introduce new vocabulary to children, but I find that often publishers take it too far, and unfortunately, this is the case here.

Detective LaRue should have won the Caldecott award. It had a excellent storyline and perfect illustrations to match the mood. Why it lost to Kittens First Full Moon is quite a mystery to me. I would recommend it for ages 10-12.

My granddaughter loves animals, especially dogs since she got one for her 5th birthday. A co-worker suggested this book as one her sons loved and asked to hear over and over again. She brought her copy in for me to see. I instantly fell in love with the story line and ordered it for my granddaughter for her 6th birthday. She loves it and so does her brother.