Who Is It, Whoodini?

Clad in hats and capes fit for Holmes and Watson, owl sleuth Whoodini and sidekick Cahoots pursue a farmyard mystery in Yasiejko's debut, a rhyming story given cinematic drama by Brazilian newcomer Ramos. Faced with an unknown feathered entity that has crash-landed in a tree near two owls, the duo sets to work collecting witness statements. "It dipped and it flipped! Then it looped in a ring!/ But what kind of bird could have done such a thing?" asks a nattily dressed pig. It's not until the owls listen in on a conversation between the farmer and his young granddaughter, both portrayed with light skin, that Whoodini unravels the mystery, whose solution is soon revealed to readers. Ramos lavishes energy on acrylic and gouache spreads, filling in every corner with texture and lighting effects: illumination from the setting sun, light spilling through windows, and a glowing lantern. Though the rhyming lines sometimes prove distracting, this small-scale, child-friendly whodunit provides a satisfactorily puzzling quandary, and proves Ramos an illustrator to watch. Ages up to 8. Illustrator's agent: Mohamed Danawi, Illozoo Agency. (Feb.)