This is a convoluted but amusing story about Big Max--the "world's greatest detective"--flying off to a tropical country named Ah-Ah-Achoo. King Punchapillow's giraffe has escaped, and Max finds him happily playing soccer. The comic sketches are full of entertaining details including Max in a Sherlock Holmes-style hat and coat and the king in bright red robes and headdress.

K-Gr 2-These titles offer independent readers imaginative stories, an opportunity to build vocabulary, and memorable characters. Mildred, which is about overprotective parenting, has the thinnest plot, but the endearing illustrations encourage readers to keep turning the pages. Second Grade tells of a boy who sits next to the class hamster and the trouble that ensues when he decides to take it along on a field trip. First introduced in Big Max (HarperCollins, 1978), this title's star is a clever detective who dresses like Sherlock Holmes and travels via umbrella a la Mary Poppins. Here he takes on a case in the land of Ah-Ah Achoo. Fans of Marjorie Weinman Sharmat's "Nate the Great" series (Delacorte) will enjoy this whimsical mystery. Beginning readers will be motivated by these clever tales and pore over the imaginative illustrations.-Laurel L. Iakovakis, Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, CO Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.