ALA Booklist (Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2010)

Who is stealing Mr. Venezi's sandwiches? The befuddled pet-shop owner misidentifies the store's animals, leading the hamsters to think they're koalas. In this first book in the Guinea PIG, Pet Shop Private Eye graphic-novel series, Hamisher the koala-hamster thinks Sasspants the guinea pig is a private investigator because the second G on her cage's sign has fallen off, so he asks her to investigate. They travel through the pet shop, questioning the various animal suspects (rabbits, a snake, a parrot), and Sasspants decides to set a trap for the thief by disguising the shop's turtle as a sandwich. Grumpy Sasspants, hyper Hamisher, creepy Gerry the snake, the goldfish (whom Mr. Venezi calls kangaroos), and the other animals all have distinctive personalities. Young readers will appreciate the zaniness of the pet shop and the fun mystery, and Yue's colorful art uses a straightforward panel design that's easy to follow. The book includes fun facts about snakes and other animals Mr. Venezi thinks he has.

Horn Book

Someone is stealing pet-shop owner Mr. Venezi's sandwiches every day. A wrongly accused hamster (who thinks he's a koala) begs the store's resident surly private-eye guinea pig to help clear his species' name. Most of the ill-tempered humor in this hard to follow comics-style book falls flat. Information about a random selection of animals is appended.

Kirkus Reviews

There is skullduggery afoot at Mr. Venezi's Pets & Stuff: Someone keeps stealing his sandwich, which he puts outside the koala cage every day. No, he doesn't sell koalas; they're really hamsters, but Mr. Venezi is both shortsighted and incompetent (though very kind). The only cage that's correctly labeled is the one holding the guinea pig—but someone has stolen the G, so little Hamisher the koala, er, hamster has decided that guinea pig Sasspants must be a P.I. and therefore can crack the case. Venable's series opener just gets loonier. The irascible Sasspants would rather be reading, but, seeing that Hamisher won't leave her alone, she swings into action. The actual mystery plays second fiddle to the over-the-top characterizations and snappy dialogue: The goldfish are thoroughly brainless, Gerry the corn snake is inscrutable, the chinchillas are prima donnas (one of them has a pet white mouse). Yue's graphic panels, colored by Hi-Fi Design, make the most of the comic potential and extend it with plenty of visual slapstick. Middle graders will close this and ask right away for Detective Pants's next caper. (animal facts) (Graphic mystery. 8-12)

School Library Journal (Sat May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Gr 2-4 Children will love Sasspants, a guinea pig who reads in her pet-shop cage using a thimble recycled as a reading lamp. She is the only animal properly identified because she's made her own sign using tiles. When the "G" at the end of "PIG" falls off, Hamisher the hamster mistakes Sasspants for a private investigator ("PI"), and enlists her help to find who's stealing Mr. Venezi's sandwiches. So begins this humorous mystery. Children who are just beginning to read graphic novels independently will enjoy solving the case with Sasspants. The full-color cartoons enhance the comic appeal. Two funny informational pages about the pet store denizens follow the story. Marilyn Ackerman, Brooklyn Public Library, NY