Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast: The Case of the Stinky Stench by Josh Funk and Brendan Kearney

Back in the kitchen and deep in the fridge,
past Trifle Tower, across Taco Bridge,
on a vacation at Mashmallow Coast,
sat Lady Pancake beside Sir French Toast.


Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast: The Case of the Stinky Stench takes the characters from Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast on a new adventure inside the fridge. This time, there is a strange smell in the refrigerator. Inspector Croissant, Sir French Toast's nephew, is on the job. But, he needs help and Toast is willing do try. Croissant has interrupted Pancake and Toast's vacation but they're a team, now, so they both join Croissant on the search.

First, they decide to check the lair of their nemesis, Baron von Waffle, who lives in the Onion Ring Cave. They cross Salsa Ravine and traipse around Mount Everbean to arrive at his home. Von Waffle is not happy to see them. But, he is clearly innocent. His home smells delicious and nobody can dispute it. Outside, the smell is growing worse. After crossing Applesauce River, they hear a rumor about a stinky red fish in the bottom of Corn Chowder Lake. It turns out to be . . . a red herring. And, yes, it smells fine. The puns are definitely one of my favorite things about this book. As they prepare to check out the lake made of corn chowder:

"Great!" said Croissant as he tripped by Miss Steak. 

Finally, they draw close to the bad smell and discover its origin is a fruitcake that's molded. But fruitcakes last forever! Surely there's a solution. The fruitcake tells the story of his downfall but Croissant says, "This is no villain. Let's help him. Make way!" And, off they go to find a place where the fruitcake can get a shower and shave.

Now that fruitcake has been cleaned up, the day is saved, the case solved. The contents of the refrigerator have a party with music by Spuddy Holly and the Croquettes. And as in its predecessor, Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast, the book ends with a fold-out page with a view of the contents of the refrigerator, which is quite different from the layout in the first book.

Highly recommended - Just like the first book, the colorful and creative fridge interior made me smile. I also found myself studying the geography - the Marshmallow Coast (which appears to be on the edge of a chocolate river), the bridge given its contours by bottles of maple syrup and tacos, the Salsa Ravine with chips wedged into its edges. I adored the use of puns, too. You're never too young to learn about clever wording. Because the food is animated, it's especially appreciated that the rotten item was salvageable. And, I love the full view of the refrigerator interior - a map on which one can trace the journey. So. Much. Fun.

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