Book Scrounger's note: This is a guest review by Doug, a.k.a. Professor Puzzler:

The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery is a clever mystery story about Horace the Elephant having a party -- only someone among them eats all the food. The question is, can you figure out who the culprit is? Not only do you have to pay attention to the rhyming storyline, but you also must watch for cleverly disguised and hidden visual clues within the beautiful drawings.

Even after you solve the mystery (or break open the seal in the back and read the solution), you'll still want to come back and read it again and again. The artwork is impressive, with many details to look out for.

Format: Hardcover
Author/Illustrator: Graeme Base
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: None

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Animalia, which is written and illustrated by Grame Base, is one of the most wonderful picture book I have ever "read." The pictures are filled with amazing and beautiful details that will keep everyone -- even the adults -- coming back again and again.

For each letter of the alphabet there is a picture filled with images of objects that begin with that letter. A clever alliterative caption describes each picture (for example: Great Green Gorillas Growing Grapes in a Gorgeous Glass Greenhouse).

Not all of the alliterative objects are obvious though. Sometimes Base hides them cleverly, or makes them difficult to see, such as in the form of shadows behind the Ostrich in "O," or reflections on the butterflies' wings in "B." 

Can you find them all? Is it possible to know for sure? The level of complexity and insight involved in this book is one thing that keeps drawing readers in, even thirty years after its original publication.

Scrounged From: My husband's book stash

Format: Hardcover
Author/Illustrator: Graeme Base
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: None

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