The Animal Rescue Agency

The Animal Rescue Agency:

Case File: Little Claws

Eliot Schrefer

HarperCollins, 2021

176 pages

Grades 2-5

Animal/Fantasy/Mystery/Humor

Jaunty and fashionable Esquire Fox and her trusty partner, rooster Mr. Pepper, receive a cry of distress at their cozy lair. A polar bear cub has been kidnapped from her mother in the arctic and it is up to The Animal Rescue Agency to discover the perpetrator and provide rescue. Esquire and Mr. Pepper hop aboard trains, boats, and even huskies to get to the northern-most town in the arctic and befriend some of the four-legged inhabitants at the local watering hole. At the human counterpart for consuming beverages a suspicious looking man with a fur hat is eying them through the window. Could this be the perpetrator? Esquire and Mr. Pepper face grave danger including entrapment, sailing through the air on a damaged kite, near frostbite and a hazardous walrus rescue. Can two small animals save the day in a frozen, hostile environment?

I loved this book. It contains a little of everything: mystery, animal rescue, and-most of all-humor. It provided the perfect escape for my end-of-the-pandemic blues. Kids will also enjoy it. It is a target level for readers ready for longer chapter books, but still needing high excitement, humor, and illustrations to keep them going. The black and white illustrations, contributed by Daniel Duncan, are just enough to entice readers without overwhelming the text. The book had a dashing, turn of the century feel to it and Esquire reminds me of a modern day Nelly Bly. The writing is clever and never loses its voice. The volume ends with Esquire hanging the kidnappers portrait on the "Villain Wall", letting the reader know that more adventures are to come. Also included are "Esquire's Field Notes" with real wildlife information about climate change and the arctic as well as Mr. Pepper's recipe for Mushroom Jerky. Schrefer reminds the reader that the biggest threat to wildlife is humans and even makes a case for vegetarianism. If Esquire can resist eating Mr. Pepper, than maybe we can all do without the burger. The mission of the Animal Rescue Agency says it all, "To each animal the right to live its natural life".  Hear! Hear!