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Mercy Watson Fights Crime

Part of Mercy Watson

Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
Paperback
$6.99 US
6.5"W x 8.25"H x 0.28"D   | 8 oz | 60 per carton
On sale Jun 04, 2010 | 80 Pages | 978-0-7636-4952-4
Age 5-8 years | Grades K-3
Reading Level: Lexile 510L | Fountas & Pinnell K
"Another rollicking addition starring the porcine wonder. . . . Will keep newly independent readers turning the pages. — School Library Journal (starred review)

Leroy Ninker is a small man with a big dream: he wants to be a cowboy, but for now he's just a thief. In fact, Leroy is robbing the Watsons' kitchen right this minute! As he drags the toaster across the counter — screeeeeech — and drops it into his bag — clannngggg — little does he know that a certain large pig who loves toast with a great deal of butter is stirring from sleep. Even less could he guess that comedy of errors (not to mention the buttery sweets in his pocket) will soon lead this little man on the wild and raucous rodeo ride he's always dreamed of! Nosy neighbors, astonished firemen, a puzzled policeman, and the ever-doting Watsons return for a tongue-in-snout adventure about Kate DiCamillo's delightfully single-minded pig.
Mercy is back in this fun third installment of merrymaking, buttered-toast eating, and crime solving.
—Kirkus Reviews

The shiny, retro pictures still amuse.
—Booklist

Another rollicking adventure…DiCamillo has creatively woven in the elements that a good easy reader should have: repetition, simple sentence structure, and controlled vocabulary.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Charming and colorful.
—Dayton Daily News

This silly story makes my nearly 9-year-old son laugh out loud at every reading (yes, it’s been requested multiple times).
—Denver Post
Kate DiCamillo is the author of THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, which received the Newbery Medal; BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, which received a Newbery Honor; and THE TIGER RISING, which was named a National Book Award Finalist. She says, "Mercy Watson had been in my head for a long time, but I couldn't figure out how to tell her story. One day, my friend Alison was going on and on and on about the many virtues of toast. As I listened to her, I could see Mercy nodding in emphatic agreement. Sometimes you don't truly understand a character until you know what she loves above all else." View titles by Kate DiCamillo
Chris Van Dusen is the author-illustrator of DOWN TO THE SEA WITH MR. MAGEE, A CAMPING SPREE WITH MR. MAGEE, and IF I BUILT A CAR. He says, "When I first read Mercy Watson to the Rescue, the characters were very vivid in my mind, and they just came to life when I started painting. This is exactly the type of story I love to illustrate – a wonderfully silly adventure with lots of action." This is his first book with Candlewick Press. View titles by Chris Van Dusen

About

"Another rollicking addition starring the porcine wonder. . . . Will keep newly independent readers turning the pages. — School Library Journal (starred review)

Leroy Ninker is a small man with a big dream: he wants to be a cowboy, but for now he's just a thief. In fact, Leroy is robbing the Watsons' kitchen right this minute! As he drags the toaster across the counter — screeeeeech — and drops it into his bag — clannngggg — little does he know that a certain large pig who loves toast with a great deal of butter is stirring from sleep. Even less could he guess that comedy of errors (not to mention the buttery sweets in his pocket) will soon lead this little man on the wild and raucous rodeo ride he's always dreamed of! Nosy neighbors, astonished firemen, a puzzled policeman, and the ever-doting Watsons return for a tongue-in-snout adventure about Kate DiCamillo's delightfully single-minded pig.

Praise

Mercy is back in this fun third installment of merrymaking, buttered-toast eating, and crime solving.
—Kirkus Reviews

The shiny, retro pictures still amuse.
—Booklist

Another rollicking adventure…DiCamillo has creatively woven in the elements that a good easy reader should have: repetition, simple sentence structure, and controlled vocabulary.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

Charming and colorful.
—Dayton Daily News

This silly story makes my nearly 9-year-old son laugh out loud at every reading (yes, it’s been requested multiple times).
—Denver Post

Author

Kate DiCamillo is the author of THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, which received the Newbery Medal; BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, which received a Newbery Honor; and THE TIGER RISING, which was named a National Book Award Finalist. She says, "Mercy Watson had been in my head for a long time, but I couldn't figure out how to tell her story. One day, my friend Alison was going on and on and on about the many virtues of toast. As I listened to her, I could see Mercy nodding in emphatic agreement. Sometimes you don't truly understand a character until you know what she loves above all else." View titles by Kate DiCamillo
Chris Van Dusen is the author-illustrator of DOWN TO THE SEA WITH MR. MAGEE, A CAMPING SPREE WITH MR. MAGEE, and IF I BUILT A CAR. He says, "When I first read Mercy Watson to the Rescue, the characters were very vivid in my mind, and they just came to life when I started painting. This is exactly the type of story I love to illustrate – a wonderfully silly adventure with lots of action." This is his first book with Candlewick Press. View titles by Chris Van Dusen