Detective Duck: The Case of the Strange Splash Book Review
- Sarah Ickes
- Mar 19
- 2 min read
This is listed for Young Readers Aged 5 – 7
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I picked up this book, the first in a series written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver. No, there is no typo in this review, as it is the same Mr. Winkler many of you may know from the television show Happy Days, and this is surprisingly not the first time the “Fonz” has worked with Ms. Oliver to write a book. After doing some online research, and reading over the Acknowledgements page at the back of this story, it was interesting to find out that their collaboration has been going on for two decades!
Now that I have that aside, onto the plot…
Willow Feathers, a curious little duckling, is being raised by her father, a beaver, in Dogwood Pond, and dreams about becoming a detective someday. On the lookout for a mystery to solve, she soon meets a puzzling challenge when a large, black object lands smack-dab in their pond and disturbs Harry the catfish from where he had been resting. Sal the salamander suspects that it is an alien spaceship carrying one-eyed aliens that will eat them all, just like in the comic books he reads from a nearby campground. But when Willow begins to investigate the object further, she discovers the truth about the item with the help of her friends. Together, they work at removing the mysterious object from their home as they learn what large impacts a small act can do.
The illustrations and quality of the book are worth mentioning as a bonus to the storyline, which is also well-written and incorporates some older sayings I can picture Mr. Winkler speaking. I found the message of environmental mindfulness to be one that is not shoved onto the reader, but is still a part of the plotline in a meaningful way. As I read the book, I could not stop myself from saying “Swiper, no swiping,” from Dora as a similar occurrence happens with a not-so-beloved weasel throughout the story. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes animal stories, themes of overcoming obstacles, and a message of continuing to follow your dreams, even when the road gets a little tough. It would also be a great gift or a donation to a Little Free Library.
Want to buy your own copy? I picked mine up at an indie bookshop, but you can also purchase them through any large retailer as well. If you would like to support your favorite local businesses, but they don't have it, just pop on over to Bookshop.org where you can buy any genre book and a portion of the sale goes to whichever bookshop you choose.
Thanks for reading my review and see ya next time!
Please note that the mentioned television shows, from the above blog post, are owned by their respective companies and I have no affiliation with either of them in any way. Also, my opinions are of my own accord and do not reflect upon the television shows or their owners.
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