Dogs Help Crack the Case in Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas

I’ve read several different children’s mystery series, from Encyclopedia Brown to the Boxcar Children. But I’d only ever heard of Nate the Great until I read Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas, which appears to have been the 18th book in the series, which is designed for children who are advanced enough to read independently but aren’t quite ready for chapter books. Written by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Craig Sharmat and illustrated by Marc Simont, the approximately 40-page-long book finds young detective Nate distracted from the job of shoveling his driveway by the arrival of a friend in need.

That pal is Annie, the owner of Fang, a large, tough-looking pooch who intimidates Nate. Fang is out of sorts, which Annie insists is because he has not yet received a Christmas card from his mother. Don’t ask how, in a world where canines aren’t even capable of speaking, a dog can send Christmas cards; that is one particular mystery on which Nate can shed no light. But he is determined to figure out what exactly happened to the letter that Annie insists must have arrived.

With 40 pages to fill, Nate has time to try out every trick in the trade, but the ultimate solution is quite simple, reminding me of the book The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Dinosaur Bone. In both cases, the detectives’ four-legged sidekicks prove to be essential in finally cracking the case. Hence, this book is as much for dog lovers as mystery fans, with plenty of commentary on dog behavior, whether it’s the tendency to bark at the mailman or an uncatlike willingness to wear silly costumes.

Most of the sentences in the book are fairly short, often taking up just one line, and repetition is frequently used for emphasis and humor. For instance, when he investigates Annie‘s catalog collection, Nate notes, “Some of the catalogs were for dogs. Christmas food for dogs. Christmas toys for dogs. Christmas clothes for dogs. Fang must be on a mailing list.”

Fang is the most amusing character in the cartoonish illustrations, always a cross between foreboding and cuddly. He looks like a German shepherd without any color variation in his fur, and he’s charmingly complacent as he sits outside in the snow in a tiny hat and jingle bell collar. Also worth a laugh is Rosamond, an eccentric friend of Annie’s whose Christmas tree is decorated with several live cats.

While Rosamond and Annie are preparing for Christmas, Nate celebrates Chanukah. This doesn’t come into the story much, but it’s an interesting element, particularly when he mentions eating potato pancakes. The lights in his window at the end of the book are also a subtle nod. For a more overt examination of friendship across faiths during the holidays, I recommend Patricia Polacco’s The Trees of the Dancing Goats, but if you like a little mystery with your “merry” and some canine with your “Christmas,” check out Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas.