Sophie Johnson, Unicorn Expert, Is a Detective Genius

K-Gr 2–Sophie Johnson is back, this time focusing on her new dog Bella and her new hobby of solving crimes. Much like in her original story, Sophie, the self-proclaimed “detective genius,” seems to know it all. But the savvy reader will see just how clueless she is, as the real story of Bella, the super detective canine, parallels the text in clever illustrations. While Sophie searches for the culprit in the theft of a stuffed lion’s tail and brags about battling “baddies,” Bella solves this mystery, foils a robbery, and receives a “very good dog” ribbon from local law enforcement. Okstad once again offers a treat in every scene: bright colors, rainbow-colored confetti specks, adorable animals, all in a realistically chaotic living environment. Children will be entertained by multiple re-reads, each time following the antics and expressions of the baby sibling, the cat, etc. Oddly, or perhaps brilliantly, the wide-eyed, rainbow-maned unicorn of the house is never mentioned. All of the humans (Sophie, the baby, police officer, and robbers) have white skin, while Bella is a wide-eyed pup. Unfortunately, in boosting her own esteem about her skills, Sophie tends to belittle Bella—“I am definitely smarter than she is”—and is very, very smug. Additionally, the glorification of law enforcement and the battle between good guys and bad guys in this British import may be poorly timed in our current domestic climate.