I really dig pizza! A mystery!

This early reader graphic novel--the first in a series--marks the debut of Candy James, pen name for a married author-illustrator team. The story centers on animal best friends Archie, who resembles a fluffy, long-tailed lamb, and Reddie, a jaunty red fox who sports a bow and trousers (the characters, back matter notes, are based on stuffies belonging to the creators' children). Archie finds a box of pizza with a red bow on top and, with a conspiratorial wink to the reader ("Ssh...You didn't see anything"), reappears with a bulldozer, to hide the treasure: "Driving a digger!/ Driving a digger!/ Gonna pile/ up some dirt/ to bury my dinner!" The subterfuge unravels when Reddie discovers the dirt mound and becomes a tenacious detective; rather than fessing up as the clues mount, Archie offers a flurry of funny fibs and misdirections (the tire tracks Reddie spots are "snake trails... from a snake!"). Though Archie never confesses, pizza satiety is achieved when Reddie reveals that the pie was a gift intended for Archie all along. Tightly framed, single-plane drawings, drawn with bold black outlines and an offbeat palette of orange, yellow, and brown, offer plenty of perky graphic pop, and the characters have an eager-eyed expressiveness, snappy dialogue, and bouncy physicality that will pull new readers along. Publishing simultaneously: We Will Find Your Hat!: A Conundrum! Ages 4--8. Agent: Gemma Cooper, the Bent Agency. (Sept.)

One mystery turns into two when Archie hides a special pizza. In this opening volume of the new Archie & Reddie series, Archie, a critter with pointy ears, fluffy, white fur, and a tail, happens upon a pizza in a box with a red bow. "Who would leave a perfectly good pizza just lying around?" Archie wonders, and that's when the trouble begins. Instead of trying to solve that mystery, Archie uses a backhoe to bury the pizza for later. At dinnertime, Archie sees Reddie, a red fox, who is investigating Archie's pile of dirt. That's when Archie starts digging a deeper hole of lies. Sweating comically, Archie concocts one questionable (and humorous) explanation after another to dismiss Reddie's clues. Finally Reddie sadly explains having left a special pizza present for Archie right where the pile of dirt is. In a less-than-satisfying ending that doesn't explain Archie's role in hiding the pizza, Archie turns recovering the pizza into a joint effort, and Archie and Reddie finally collapse in a pizza stupor. Despite plot holes, this outing introduces two friends with enjoyable chemistry populating well-paced panels that propel the physical comedy. ("Candy James" is an author-illustrator duo, and a closing note reveals the characters to be their daughter's plush foxes, perhaps explaining Archie's less-than-vulpine appearance.) Sequel We Will Find Your Hat! publishes simultaneously. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Make room for this cute pair on the graphic early reader shelf. (Graphic early reader. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.