Hornswoggled: A Wacky Words Whodunit by Josh Crute

Deer wakes up one morning to find that someone has stolen his antler! He's been hornswoggled. As he goes to see his friends, each one of them is missing something. Who is the thief? 

Thoughts: Too funny! I love how the story builds around each animal, what was stolen, and how they feel about it. I think slightly older children (say first and second grade) will love learning these new words. I love the mixture of fonts used and that all the wacky words are defined as you read. The illustrations are bright, colorful, full of expression and motion. The animals' facial expressions are top notch. Pair with 13 Words by Lemony Snicket, Hat Tricks by Satoshi Kitamura, Warning! Do Not Touch! by Tim Warnes, and The Donkey Egg by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel. 

Download an activity guide from the author's website here. 

Themes: Animals, Wordplay, Elementary

(Illustrated by Jenn Harney. Page Street Kids, 2021.)