The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers

Title: The Great Paper Caper
Author & Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Genre: Children's Books, Picture Books
Publisher: Philomel Books
Date: September 22, 2008
Length: 40 pages

I picked this book up from the library

There was once a forest where everyone went about their business. All was well until the strangest thing started happening: Without warning, branches began disappearing from trees.

Something will have to be done, everyone agrees, and a full-scale investigation is launched. Witnesses are interviewed. Clues are gathered. Paw prints are dusted. Who is the culprit? And why are there paper airplanes littering the forest floor?

Description from Goodreads

Once upon a time in the forest things were not as they should be.  Branches were disappearing , and everyone agreed, "branches should not disappear from trees like that."  The Great Paper Caper was always a fun book to share with kindergartners. Different aspects of the story and illustrations intrigued them, we all had a fun time, and I got to experience an Oliver Jeffers book multiple times a day. This is a fun mystery with a timely message and the kind of illustrations that kids love to look at over and over again (all of those little details are great for the I Spy crowd).

What I liked

Illustrations are just as fun as the story: Jeffers' gouache and collage illustrations allow young readers to follow the clues while the story itself adds another layer of humor and mystery. Jeffers has also added visual jokes and references to his previous books.  My students loved that the deer is playing a video game featuring the boy and penguin from Lost and Found, a few were amused and confused by the pig cooking bacon, and I really liked that everyone's "solid alibis" weren't so solid - each character was alone in his home.

The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers

A fun mystery: While this is only a mystery to the characters in the book, it really sucks kids in. At first neighbors accused each other of making off with the branches, but they all had alibis.  So they banded together to investigate.  They assigned jobs, the dusted for prints, they looked in every nook and cranny. Somehow the animals keep missing the bear with an axe and the paper airplanes left scattered around the forest, but your children won't. Eventually a witness stepped forward and the investigators had found their man, er, bear.

The Great Paper Caper  by Oliver Jeffers

I'll always remember the kid who loudly proclaimed, "I don't think that's how investigations work" when we got to the picture of the Boy and Beaver investigating one of the crime scenes.

The Great Paper Caper by Oliver Jeffers

Conservation message: The Great Paper Caper is a delightful book that teaches an important lesson about conservation without being corny or leaving the reader feeling like they've been pummeled with the message. My students at the time enjoyed talking about what was wasteful, what the Bear could have done better, and why conservation is important. Kids always like to share their knowledge and this was a nice way to start a group discussion.

Community support: The forest animals get together to solve the mystery of their disappearing trees. They might not have been good at it, but community involvement did help. The Bear was a bit stressed and needed help but didn't know how to ask for it. Again, Jeffers' animal community comes together to help him while he makes up for cutting down all of the trees. It's a nice message of support and the importance of asking for help when you need it.

It's a good read aloud: While a bit more challenging with a class, this is a perfect book to share with your kids. Being able to explore the pictures is a big plus and it's best when they can get close to the book.

Rating: 4.5

The Great Paper Caper is another lighthearted romp through Oliver Jeffers' imagination.  Readers of all ages will appreciate the humors illustrations with visual jokes scattered throughout. The story is a funny mystery with TV police drama references but none of the seriousness. Especially nice is that children can figure out the lesson about waste and nature conservation on their own without simply declaring that "waste is bad!". Jeffers' respects children's imagination and intelligence and lets them find their own way through the story. 

Leave a Comment 4.5, Children's Books, Oliver Jeffers