Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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 :-)

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.