Mercy Watson Fights Crime

Leroy Ninker is a small man with a big dream: he wants to be a cowboy, but for now he's just a thief. In fact, Leroy is robbing the Watsons' kitchen right this minute! As he drags the toaster across the counter -- screeeeeech -- and drops it into his bag -- clannngggg -- little does he know that a certain large pig who loves toast with a great deal of butter is stirring from sleep. Even less could he guess that comedy of errors (not to mention the buttery sweets in his pocket) will soon lead this little man on the wild and raucous rodeo ride he's always dreamed of! Nosy neighbors, astonished firemen, a puzzled policeman, and the ever-doting Watsons return for a tongue-in-snout adventure about Kate DiCamillo's delightfully single-minded pig.

That buttered-toast-loving pig with a penchant for trouble, Mercy Watson, whose adventures began in Mercy Watson to the Rescue and continued in Mercy Goes for a Ride, returns for her third adventure in this entertaining chapter-book. Awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of the toaster being moved - surely a sign that toast is being made! - Mercy surprises a pint-sized burglar named Leroy Ninker, who dreams of being a cowboy. Needless to say, Mercy's actions (however inadvertent) save the day...

I enjoyed Mercy Watson Fights Crime quite a bit, finding it (unlike many sequels) every bit as entertaining as its predecessors. Mercy herself is a winsome character who, with her inadvertent and unconscious participation in various show more human interactions around her, reminds me a bit of Judith Kerr's Mog (of Mog the Forgetful Cat). Coming from a Mog fan, that is, of course, high praise. With vividly colorful illustrations that add to the fun, an amusing tale of a toast-obsessed pig and a would-be burglar who longs to be a cowboy, and a cast of appealing secondary characters, many of whom appeared in the previous two entries in the series, this third Mercy Watson story is a winner! show less

I love Mercy Watson, but I have to say I didn't love this one quite as much as the first two. In this one, there's a wannabe cowboy robber who gets surprised by Mercy when he's in the process of robbing the Watsons. He ends up riding Mercy and, through a series of misadventures, gets caught by the cops. I love most of the characters in the Mercy Watson books because they seem to be so organic to the setting and the story. But a short, wannabe-cowboy thief doesn't seem very organic to me! However, Mercy is still adorable, the illustrations are magnificent, the language is perfect easy-reader material, and all in all, it's very enjoyable.

This third installment in the Mercy series is my favorite so far. This story is a bit different than the first two....the hijinks here aren't of Mercys own doing. This hilarious misadventure is at the hands of a pint sized thief.

My children and I absolutely loved this one. Along with the charming illustrations and writing style we've come to expect in this series, this is is also laugh out loud funny.

Another win by Kate DiCamillo....continueing to show why she's an absolute favorite in our household.

I’m reading through these books as part of the read-aloud program I’ve put together for my three year-old son. I firmly believe he’s still too young for any kind of formal education, but I also passionately believe that the most powerful thing I can do to shape their education is read aloud with them. That being said, the Mercy Watson series are PERFECT for kids ages 3-6. My three year-old giggles all the way through, and even my five year-old is engaged and chuckling the entire time. I read no more than three chapters per day in order to accommodate the limited (read: almost nonexistent...) attention span of a three year-old. But my five year-old always begs for more!

Mercy Watson continues to delight in her third adventure in which she foils a not-so-scary thief. Leroy Ninker really wants to be a cowboy, but until he can realize his cowboy dreams he is a thief. His big mistake when trying to rob the Watsons is stealing the toaster. Mercy overhears and mistakes the sounds of the robbery for toast-making sounds and since there is nothing Mercy loves more than hot buttered toast, she heads to the kitchen to investigate. Extremely silly antics ensue involving the Lincoln sisters, our favorite firemen Ned and Lorenzo, Officer Tomilello, and bareback pig riding. The Mercy Watson series is just right for readers transitioning from easy readers to chapter books with Chris Van Dusen's illustrations adding a show more colorful, retro note to the mix. show less

Mercy Watson interrupts a burglary-in-progress in her own home and in her search for butter she takes the thief (who wants to be a cowboy) on a wild ride. Kate DiCamillo's simple text conceals a magnificent amount of delightful detail and depth of characterization. Even readers who are not familiar with Mercy's exploits will quickly come to understand that she has had adventures involving the firemen, policemen, and the Lincoln sisters. Through sixteen chapters DiCamillo also manages to keep readers interested in learning what happens next. Each chapter ends with a mini cliffhanger (such as Mercy heading downstairs when the reader knows the thief is in the kitchen) or a funny situation. The illustrations by Chris Van Dusen have a shiny show more three-dimensional cartoon quality that brings to mind modern digital animation -- a style children are familiar with and enjoy. Public and school media libraries will find this book indispensable to their transitional book collection. show less