Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
The Kidnapping of Mona Lisa
Board Novelty Book
For ages 6 and up
Clavis Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-1605371399
Five incredibly clever thieves have stolen the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in Paris. Thankfully, Officers Wolf and Rat are hot on their trail. They chase one of the thieves, Duck, through the streets of Paris and into the underground. Could Duck be going to another European city?
It turns out that this is just what Duck does. He travels to Berlin where he finds a way to get rid of the hot painting as soon as he can. His partners in crime are in Berlin too, though they are all keeping a low profile. This is easy to do because the city is full of locals going about their business, and countless tourists who are taking in the sights. Rat and Wolf are there too, still chasing the precious painting. They are so busy that they fail to notice that another crime is taking place in Berlin. A bank is about to be robbed!
The tireless sleuths don’t get to enjoy Germany for long. The painting is headed for Rome and they have to go after it. In the great Italian city, Rat certainly finds some shady characters, but are they the criminals he is seeking? Unfortunately for the local bank manager, Rat and Wolf are once again too busy to notice that the same thieves who robbed the bank in Berlin are up to their old tricks in Rome.
The thieves, the police officers and others then go on to London, Barcelona, and Amsterdam before the chase ends back in Paris.
In this detail packed search-and-find book, readers can follow the adventures of the Mona Lisa, and they can also see what happens in the lives of other characters who reappear in every spread. Among other things love stories unfold, crimes are committed, a painter creates works of art, and a princess tries to find her lost golden ball. There are so many things to look at on each of the seven spreads that readers will come back to the book again and again. Included with the book is a card that will help readers to get to know the main characters.
