Lamont Spence / Tanya Spence
Every clue tells a story.When every child on Maple Street wakes up grumpy on the same morning - stomping, frowning, fighting over toys - something is clearly wrong. Lucky for them, the case lands on the doorstep of three small detectives with very particular skills.There’s ChiChi Rose, the bright-eyed Bichon who never goes anywhere without her magnifying glass. There’s Red Fox, the Shiba Inu in the red bandana whose nose can track anything. And there’s Chance, the sweet sidekick whose Sherlock Holmes hat is two sizes too big and slips down over his eyes at all the wrong moments.Together, they follow a trail of shimmering purple dust through the neighborhood - past quarrels and tears and slammed doors - all the way to a hollow log in Sleepy Hollow Park, where the smallest creature they’ve ever seen sits alone, holding the smallest velvet pouch they’ve ever seen, with the saddest eyes they’ve ever seen.The Case of the Cranky Kids is a 32-page, full-color picture-book mystery for ages 4 to 6, gently exploring big themes that small readers already know well: feeling grumpy without knowing why, the loneliness that sometimes hides behind unkindness, and the quiet, surprising power of someone choosing to be kind first. Parents and teachers will appreciate the social-emotional payoff. Kids will keep coming back for the rhymes, the sound words (RIIIIING! STOMP! STOMP! POOF!), and the moment Chance - the smallest detective with the biggest heart - does something brave that changes everything.Perfect for read-aloud at bedtime, classroom circle time, and any child who has ever woken up grumpy without knowing exactly why.The first book in a new series from authors Lamont and Tanya Spence at Spence Heritage Press, with The Case of the Vanishing Voice and The Case of the Whispering Woods coming soon.
