Detective Gordon: The First Case

An award-winning illustrated detective story set in a friendly forest and first in the acclaimed series for beginning readers.

Detective Gordon―a mystery-solving toad who loves cake―has his very first case. Someone’s stealing nuts from the forest, and it’s up to Detective Gordon to catch the thief! Unfortunately, solving this crime means standing in the snow and waiting for a long time... If only he had an assistant―someone small, fast, and clever―to help solve this terrible case. Then Detective Gordon would be able to go back to doing what he’s best at: thinking, eating cakes, drinking tea, and stamping important papers.

A perfect first chapter book for children aged five and up by one of Sweden’s top children’s writers. This much-loved junior fiction series is illustrated in full color throughout and packed full of character and humor. Winner of multiple awards and accolades, Detective Gordon is a fun whodunnit mystery series to read alone or aloud.

Translated from the Swedish edition by Julia Marshall.

Read all the Detective Gordon series:
Detective Gordon: A Complicated Case
Detective Gordon: A Case in Any Case
Detective Gordon: A Case for Buffy

Praise for Detective Gordon: The First Case:

“KLA-DUNK! Another winner.” Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“A must-have for chapter book collections.” School Library Journal, starred review

“Full of warm humour and wisdom…with a feather-light touch.” Best Books of 2015, Horn Book

“A wonderful choice for independent reading.” Booklist, starred review

Ulf Nilsson (1948-2021) was a celebrated Swedish children's author, who wrote more than 100 books for all ages, winning numerous awards and translated into over a dozen languages.

Gitte Spee graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, a renowned academy of fine art and design in the Netherlands. She now works in Amsterdam as a children's book illustrator.