Rinaldo on the Run

After a clever cat steals his fortune and his fancy sports car, Rinaldo, the sly fox, travels to Rome and then to visit his long-lost uncle Dusty, the Pizza King, in America, while trying to avoid his nemesis, Bruno the duck detective.

Grade 1-4-Rinaldo, the unrepentant trickster featured in Rinaldo, the Sly Fox (1992) and The Return of Rinaldo, the Sly Fox (1993, both North-South), continues to give his archenemy, Bruno the Duck Detective, problems. This time Rinaldo's thievery takes him on a globetrotting caper before he is caught...only to escape again. Children who love the traditional trickery of Reynard (or Brer Rabbit, Coyote, and Anansi), and graduates of James Marshall's beginning-to-read series featuring "Fox" (Dial), are sure to enjoy this more modern and sophisticated adventure. The text is fast paced and fits between easy readers and beginning chapter books. It is complemented by plenty of watercolor illustrations to help keep readers' interest. Charming cartoon animals and amusing details (including a banana in a holster), plus the action-packed slapstick humor make this title a winner.
Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, ID
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 2^-4. Third in the German series that began with Rinaldo the Sly Fox (1992), this picks up the disreputable fox's trail as he flees to Rome with Bruno the Duck Detective in pursuit. Outwitting Bruno and stealing money from the truck driver who gives him a lift, Rinaldo flies to Chicago, where he hoodwinks his own Uncle Dusty, the Pizza King, out of the profits from his 97 franchises. Brightly colored illustrations appear throughout the book, highlighting the humor of the cartoonlike characters and the story's frenetic plot. The format fills a niche for visually appealing material at this reading level, but consider this sequel for purchase only where the first two volumes have a strong following. Carolyn Phelan