Jake Gander, Storyville Detective: The Case of the Greedy Granny [Hardcover]

George McClements (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2002 | Age Level: 1 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A series of fairly obvious clues help Jake Gander prove Red R. Hood's suspicions about her granny's strange new look.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of this deadpan parody of nursery stories and gumshoes, Jake Gander (who's a guy, not a goose) puts down his Once Upon a Times newspaper to field a call from Red R. Hood. "It was a code P.W.T. (Possible Wolf Trouble)," he intones. At the home of Red's Granny, Jake finds a brown beast sprawled under a purple duvet, but does not jump to conclusions: "I decided to take our little party downtown to clear things up." The resolute but dim investigator who appears in black-and-white while all around him is in color inspects this "Granny's" pointy ears and bulging, hard-boiled-egg eyes; later he learns the real Granny is on vacation. Meanwhile, the pot-bellied wolf never resists arrest. With its lockjaw grin and unfocused stare, the silent perp appears more neurotic than predatory, and Red seems quite unruffled by the situation. First-time author artist McClements mimes the punchy first-person style of detective fiction and presents the evidence as snapshots paperclipped to a yellow manila folder. Visual jokes a diagram of Humpty Dumpty's fall, a filing cabinet labeled "Frogs (non-princely)" provide mild levity in the collage illustrations. But unlike the sustained Mother Goose send-up in last year's The Web Files, this book is an open-and-shut case. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-Jake is called in by Red R. Hood to determine if her grandmother has been replaced by an impostor. Arriving at the scene, it is clear that something is amiss and as the clues mount, the Storyville cop builds his case and ultimately gets his man-Harry A. Wolf (aka Big Bad). While the text is chock-full of witticisms, it is a bit sophisticated, e.g., "They were as sharp as an aged piece of cheddar." "In an ironic twist of fate, he is now working in the Hood division of the Storyville Prison." Fortunately, McClements's creative collages of images, words, and pictures save the book from obscurity. Comical depictions of the villain show large yellow jaws accompanied by a slouching oversized body. The town of Storyville is a mishmash of real-world objects and cartoon scenery. Puzzles abound as each picture poses a pun or story-related clue to figure out. Littered throughout the landscape are references to popular fairy tales, from boxes containing puppy-dog tails and magic beans to pictures of a house made out of a boot and a portrait of a goose with a golden egg. Children will take pleasure in revisiting each illustration and deciphering the cleverly constructed meanings.
Louie Lahana, New York City Public Schools
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786806621
• ISBN-13: 978-0786806621
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,898,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jake Gander is on the case, December 4, 2002

By 

Irwin (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jake Gander, Storyville Detective: The Case of the Greedy Granny (Hardcover)

So many "children's" stories are downright grim. After a reading you feel like you've just walked out of an Ingmar Bergman film. Luckily, Jake Gander, Storyville Detective (and writer/illustrator George McClements) is on the case.

McClements has come up with the high concept idea of a detective who works to clear up some of the tougher cases in children's literature. The guy seems a little clueless (giving kids a chance, of course, to contribute their own investigative insights), but he gets the job done. In this story, not only does he prevent the wolf from eating granny and Little Red, but the wolf even goes to a kind of anger management program afterwards, instead of receiving the penalty of death by Woodsman's axe.

The idea of changing the endings to classic fairy tales might raise the hackles on some traditionalists. But the original tales aren't really going away (that's just part of the story--it's fiction, see). And who really believes those classic fairy tales were meant for kids in the first place? I think this version is much more appropriate for the proposed age range of 3 to 7. (I say wait until children can read the LA Times before filling them full of death, destruction, and bummer endings--and The Seventh Seal is out on DVD now.)

Of course, the story works well with the 30 to 40 year old age range, too. I like the idea of seeing some of the stories that left me with emotional scars from childhood readings getting a little help from a good-guy detective. And this book is as fun for adults as it is for kids (always an indication of the best children's stories).

The illustrations are as fun as the stories. Full of fairy tale (the main industry in Storyville) inside jokes and vivid details.

Buy lots of these books. You'll need at least two just for your own house, one for you and one for your child (you know how kids tend to chew and drool on good literature).

Of course, under the hot lights, I have to confess my real motivation here is for the book to become a big enough seller to spawn the inevitable sequels. I'm dying to see Jake Gander take on, say, the case of the lost Hansel & Gretel. I always felt sorry for the witch.

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait for the sequels!, June 6, 2004

By 

Brendon Cheves (Laguna Beach, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jake Gander, Storyville Detective: The Case of the Greedy Granny (Hardcover)

This is a great book to read to my two young boys. I came here looking for more, but alas, there are none. Like the reveiwer below, I recommend you buy this book so the publishers will call up Mr. McClements and get him to write some more :-)

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clever spoof, July 30, 2002

By 

G. Mcclements "racgeo" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jake Gander, Storyville Detective: The Case of the Greedy Granny (Hardcover)

I loved this book. The illustrations are really clever and it is a great book to read with your kids and get them to point out some of the subtle pictures. (Check out the formula) I liked the use of collage and that Jake is always drawn in black and white, so he never quite fits into Storyville. Very nicely written, and told from Jake's point of view in a 1930s old mo0vie detective kind of way.