Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers
Illustrator: Sucie Stevenson
Fiction Series
For ages 5 to 7
Simon and Schuster, 1999 ISBN: 978-0689825255
Henry and his big dog Mudge love to watch a television show called The Man in the Mask. The show is about a spy, and Henry would love to be a spy who solves mysteries and saves the day.
One day Henry goes out and buys a spy kit using the money in his piggy bank. In the kit there is everything Henry and Mudge need to be spies. There is a hat, dark glasses, a telescope, a secret code on a piece of card and a magnifying glass. After Mudge licks the magnifying glass, Henry decides that Mudge can wear the hat, and he will carry the magnifying glass.
Together the two spies set off. Mudge is very good at not looking like a spy, though he doesn’t seem to realize that it is not a good idea to look for old shoes in trash cans. Henry is thrilled when he comes across a piece of paper that has a code written on it. At last there is a real mystery to solve.
Many children go through a phase when they are keen spies and they look for mysteries to solve. With wonderful touches of humor, Cynthia Rylant captures the excitement that Henry feels when he stumbles across a real mystery. It is hard not to laugh when Mudge finds his own doggy way to enjoy the adventures he is having with his boy.
This is one of the titles in the Henry and Mudge series. Beginner readers will enjoy sharing in all the adventures that Henry and Mudge have together in these books.
