Stick & Fetch Investigate: Barking up the Wrong Tree

I’ve always believed that it’s a good thing to challenge your children a little, to take them out of their comfort zone and show them what else they can achieve if they set their mind to it. And so, I was eager to test whether Amy would enjoy the new Stick & Fetch Investigate novel. This is an illustrated book aimed at readers who are five years and older, a longer story than we have read together before and the start of a new adventure in our reading journey.

She absolutely loved this new Barking up the Wrong Tree book, we read a few chapters to her each night and she sat listening intently as the story unfolded. The only snag we hit was that she always wanted ‘just a little bit more please’ – and so storytime has become a bit longer in our house each night, but we don’t mind that at all!

Sally Stick is a detective, and so is her dog and best friend Fetch. Stick can understand everything Fetch says, and together they are Stick & Fetch Detectives! The book sees the detective pair solving a few cases, each divided up into chapters within the book. The cases are hilariously unusual, like a lady who may be exploding, or the mystery of a stolen photo. Even though they aren’t usually on the right track, the pair come out of the investigation thinking they have solved the case!

The book includes lovely illustrations in yellow, black and white to accompany the story, each helping to bring the story to life and making sure your little reader will lean in closer to see. It also includes descriptive vocabulary, the kind that that you would expect detectives to use, along with explanations by Stick to Fetch of what the words mean. So if your child enjoys being a detective (and if I’m honest mine are always keeping track of what snacks I’m hiding from them), then they will enjoy following Stick and Fetch on their different adventures. You will enjoy reading this book to a younger child, but they will also one day enjoy learning to read it alone as they transition from picture books to independent reading.

Stick & Fetch Investigate: Barking up the Wrong Tree by Philip Ardagh, illustrated by Elissa Elwick, is available from bookstores and online retailers.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan for kicking off our next adventure in our reading journey with Stick and Fetch!