Homer on the Case by Henry Cole

Homer, a literate homing pigeon, uses his unusual skills to solve a mystery, in this gentle story for young middle-graders.

Homer on the Case by Henry Cole. Peachtree, 2021, 272 pages

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10

Recommended for: Ages 6-10

Homer has all the usual talents of a homing pigeon, as his boy Otto and Otto’s Grandad can attest. He can find his way home from any location. But Otto and Grandad don’t suspect Homer’s less-usual talent: he can read. It all started with noticing the newspapers lining his cage floor. The strokes and curves began to reveal themselves as separate letters, then the letters appeared in regular patterns called words, and after that it was easy.

Homer begins every day with a perusal of headlines and Dick Tracy before moving on to the store ads (especially pet stores–can’t miss the birdseed sales!). His observation skills have expanded to take in everyday occurrences, such as the day he saw a rat at the park sneak a gold bracelet out of a rich lady’s purse. Could it be theft? What would Dick Tracy do? And, as the newspaper reports more mysterious jewel heists in the park, how can Homer communicate his observations?

Homer joins other sentient animal heroes (like Chester the cricket and Wilbur the pig) in this gentle story with a retro feel. The soft-edged charcoal illustrations in Henry Cole’s signature style add to the story without distracting. One slightly scary sequence in a service tunnel provides just enough suspense to keep young readers rivetted. At the end, Henry learns that “overcoming a challenge came with quite a reward: with my new best friend, I had made others happy. What better reward is there?”

Overall Rating: 4 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 3.75
• Artistic/literary value: 4.25

Read more about our ratings here.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Henry Cole is best known as an illustrator. See our starred reviews of his wordless picture books, Spot, the Cat and Unspoken. Also, A Nest for Celeste, another animal fantasy with a historical setting.
• Reviews: Ever since Charlotte’s Web (or maybe since Aesop’s Fables), animal fantasy has been a staple of children’s literature. See our reviews of The Littlest Voyageur, Nuts to You (squirrels!), and Little Bird.

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