The Detective Dog

Let me just start by saying I’ve loved almost all of the Julia Donaldson books I’ve read with my son (The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, Charlie Cook’s Favorite Book, etc.), But this is my all-time favorite. As a lover of books and reading in general, the storyline for this one - along with the fun, playful pictures (and swoon-worthy illustration of the library) make this book so special and fun to read. Like in her other books, Julia Donaldson uses a great rhyme scheme to tell the story of Detective Dog Nell and her owner, Peter. The story is somewhat similar to that of the Snatchabook by Helen Docherty — but not the same at the same time. The mystery element is there in both books, along with the disappearance of books in each story. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so you’ll just have to read it for yourself. This is one that you should definitely add to your collection! We even bought it as a Christmas present for my son’s Kindergarten teacher! :)

We love Julia Donaldson. My son is completely enamored with her books—the perfect rhyme, unique characters and wonderful art work have made her our favorite author. We started with Alex Scheffler as the illustrator and so happy we didn’t stop there. The detective dog ranks at the top of the list with Snail and the whale, the gruffalo and Zog. My 4.5year old son picks her books every night at bedtime and her books are our go to birthday gift for 3-6 year olds.

We initially rented it from the library and ended up buying it. Great story. My son is only 4 but with Nell going to school to listen to kids read, we've already introduced the read aloud to a dog concept for when he starts reading.

Grand daughters loved this book and unlike some children's books it was not bad to read to them. (granddaughters were age 2 and 5) I higly recommend the story and the book I bought the hardback version.

my 4 year old son loves this book, and I love it, too.the wonderfully rhymed sentences are fun to read, the story is cute, and the drawings are beautiful!since the topic of the book is reading and libraries, this would be a wonderful book for a storytime at a kindergarten/daycare/library!

I purchased this book for my 5 yr old grandson and he loves it so much he takes it to bed each night and carefully places it beside his bed so it's the first thing he sees every morning. I bought it to help him understand how clever and talented his new dog is and it has absolutely fulfilled this purpose.

My 3yo loves this book about a detective dog. We love this author, who also wrote Room on the Broom, a fun Halloween book!

All her books are goodMake sure you have the Gruffalo

What a great story! Fabulous illustrations and great rhyming text that just flows. This is a wonderful story of adventure, mystery and a visit to the library! What more could you want!! We loved this and have spent a few evenings reading it over and over. Love the idea of showcasing dogs in a learning environment and the importance of reading and books in everyday situations. The image of the library in the story is beautiful and detailed. You could spend hours just chatting about that! Can't recommend this enough, buy it and add to your collection. It's fabulous.

Bridges the gap between toddler books and longer, more detailed stories. Nell the dog is a listening dog, one day a week she goes to school and the children read to her. (This actually happens in some schools, the kids love it.) But Nell is even more useful. When all the school’s books disappear Nell is on the case.The illustrations are detailed enough for lots of, “Can you see.... “ activities, the story is brilliantly just right to keep 4-6 year olds engaged, amused and informed. The rhyming text makes it a joy to read aloud. Readers just getting started will soon recognise some of the oft-repeated words and be encouraged to try the harder ones. Just love it, as does our granddaughter, just getting ready to start school in September. I do hope she finds school as wonderful for her as it is portrayed in the book!

A charming tale from master kids storyteller Julia Donaldson that centres on a dog who goes to school and ends up playing detective when the library books are all stolen. A really nice book for the little ones, either to read to them or have them read themselves, where the love and importance of books and stories comes through strongly.

I haven't found one book by Julia Donaldson that my kids have not thoroughly enjoyed. I bought this for my five year old daughter and she loved it. It's as brilliant as all her other stories. Very good story, great illustrations, easy narrative for the kids to follow, well-written.

Sweet book about dog Nell that goes to school with her person. The books are stolen from school one day and the dog leads the kids to the thief. They then show the thief the public library where he can check out as many books as he likes without having to steal. Lovely book about loving books!