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Stop, Thief!

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"Max," said the farmer to his dog one day, "can you catch a thief?" Of course! He can catch anything! And Max eagerly sets off on a quest to find the culprit who has been stealing the farmer's fruits and vegetables. Within moments, the dog is confident he has spotted the thief -- a tiny blue bug, working on a carrot top. "Stop, thief!" Max cries as the bug flies away. Undaunted, Max chases after the bug, from the carrots to the berries to the beans and the cherries, until, eventually, Max watches in satisfaction as the bug flies away over the farm fence. What Max totally misunderstands in his enthusiasm, however -- and what youngsters will figure out right away -- is that the tiny blue bug isn't the thief at all. The real thieves are hiding in plain sight, right under his nose! Author Heather Tekavec has created a perfect storytime choice in this fun and funny picture book, as the kid appeal of being "in the know" while the lovable dog remains clueless will surely invite repeated readings. This story provides an excellent opportunity for discussions about jumping to conclusions and blaming others, or even about life on a farm. It also offers terrific lessons for building early literacy skills, such as moving beyond what is strictly presented in the text and critically thinking about what can be observed in the exuberant and friendly artwork by illustrator Pierre Pratt.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2014

3 people are currently reading
408 people want to read

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Heather Tekavec

12 books15 followers

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
Profile Image for Jay.
532 reviews29 followers
August 2, 2015
ARC courtesy of NetGalley

hehehe! what a cute story.

Poor Max thinks he's doing such a great job catching the thief for the farmer; little does he realise that the thief is none other than all his friends on the farm.
Profile Image for Storywraps.
1,968 reviews39 followers
June 16, 2014
I love this book because I fell instantly in love with the main character, an adorable little dog named Max. His master, the farmer, gave Max a very important mission. A lot of the farm's carrots, beans and cherries are missing because of an unidentified thief. The farmer asks Max if he can track down the burglar and eradicate him from the property forever. Max eagerly jumps at the chance to show his love and loyalty. Will it be a mission impossible? Not with Max, no sir, he is on it.

He scoots off to the carrot patch and hears a buzzing sound. He locates a blue bug sitting on top of the feathery green leaves and actually chewing happily away. This is Max's "Ah-ha" moment. He barks,"Stop Thief!" and is so focused on this intruder that he totally misses a clue that rabbit has surfaced while chewing on a carrot too. Max keeps his eyes on the thief and tracks that blue bug right into the strawberry patch where he encounters a red-stained pig who is having a very fulfilling time. (literally). Next he zooms after the bug and off into the bean patch where he converses with a goat who actually has a bean protruding from his mouth during their conversation. Max, so intent on catching the insect misses that clue too. The three crows he stumbles upon next, in the cherry trees are more than happy to stand guard while Max makes a valiant effort to chase that blue bug off of the farmer's property forever. The farm animals are oblivious to the fact that perhaps they might have a part in the mystery of the disappearing food. They decide to bless Max and throw him a victory party, after all the real culprit is gone isn't he? But what is a party without great party food! Off they go to gather the last of the farmer's crops. They construct a huge pile of goodies to share with Max and celebrate together on his return.

The animals begin to worry what might happen if the thief returns. The huge pile of food they see in front of them seems to grow fingers and beckons them forth to it. What if the thief eats all the party food? The anxiety monster prods and pokes them enough to succumb to temptation and they hide the food in a very safe place where the robber will never, ever find it. The fun part as a reader is that you get to solve the mystery and find out exactly where that is hidden. No pressure, you will figure it out no problem and smile as you do so.

The illustrations are gouache on paper and the colour pallet is warm and inviting to look at. The story drops clues along the way as to why Max may be on a mission impossible and you the reader, can make the mission possible indeed. You have to love Max's heart, he truly wants to do a great job and please his master, the farmer, although his detective skills do need to bit of honing.
Profile Image for Tali.
470 reviews4 followers
August 8, 2014
A free copy of this book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Max takes his job very seriously when the farmer asks him to catch the thief who's been stealing all the carrots, berries, beans and cherries, and he soon spies the culprit, a small blue bug who quickly flies away. Max gives chase, aided in his quest to catch the thief by some helpful animals about the farm: a rabbit, a pig, a goat and some crows. What Max might not have noticed, however, is that the real culprits might be under his nose the whole time.
This is a really lovely picture book with a fun story about how sometimes we become so fixed on an idea that we fail to notice what's really going on. Max was an adorable character, so eager and happy to be helping the farmer, and although he might not spot the real food thieves (although the reader does), all of the other animal characters are trying their best to be helpful, even if they go about it in the wrong way. The illustrations in this picture book are gorgeous too - the animals' personalities are captured brilliantly and the colours of the farmyard are very warm and charming.
I really enjoyed reading this picture book and it's definitely one I'll be sharing with my nephew. 5 stars.
Profile Image for Heidi-Marie.
3,855 reviews87 followers
June 28, 2017
This was really cute. I think the preschool kids will love this because of the obvious thief, especially as the thieves are completely oblivious. And the ending is funny. Must try it in preschool storytime. Especially loved the illustrations and the background of the farmer's work.

10/22/14 I think my new crowd was too young to get some of the humor in who the actual thieves were. I pointed it out at the end, and had some blank faces with nodding heads. Maybe it got through. Would have been better in a lap-read, or with a slightly older crowd.

6/28/17 Used as opener for T theme. It took a few pages with me trying to help the kids catch on to who the actual "thief" was. They picked up eventually. And I know they enjoyed it. But it seemed a bit chaotic. I believe that is because I still had some of the Toddler Storytime wanna be in preschool and it was less sit-down and paying attention. But overall it went well. It is a bit longer than I remembered.
Profile Image for Mary Brown.
1,298 reviews74 followers
June 9, 2014
Stop, Thief! by Heather Tekavec was an adorable children’s book. What child doesn’t like to hear about a silly dog and the crazy things that he does. It’s Max’s job to help the farmer find out and stop the thief that’s eating the farm products. With the help of some of his friends, it’s off to solve the case. What follows is a delightfully silly escapade that will have your child laughing out loud.

The writing style and illustrations were a perfect blend for a children’s book. My granddaughter loved the book and wanted me to read it numerous times. That to me is a sure sign that a book is worth reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to watch their child giggle and laugh while listening to a story. After checking I see that Heather Tekavec has written other children’s books and I will definitely be getting some for my granddaughter.

Profile Image for Jess at Such a Novel Idea.
597 reviews179 followers
June 23, 2014
Stop, Thief! is a lovely little story about a puppy who lives on a farm. Someone is stealing the carrots, berries, and other harvest items and the farmer asks Max to find the culprit. Of course, Max assumes a bug is the thief and sets off past all the other animals who are eating the crops. They are genuinely concerned, but no one seems to realize that the farm animals are the ones eating the crops!

This is a cute little story with great art and my kids laughed and laughed that no one caught the real thieves. Also, the farm is a bit lazy in this one, so we didn't feel too terrible about it! Max did a great job providing the adorable factor and showing hard work, even if things went over his head a little.
Profile Image for infoqueen.
50 reviews5 followers
September 8, 2014
When the farmer sends Max to catch the thief who's been eating all the carrots, berries, beans and cherries, Max grabs a rope and sets out in confident pursuit: "He could catch anything!" His dogged chase after his suspect (a tiny blue bug Max discovers chewing a carrot leaf) leads him all over the farm, encountering other animals who offer to help "guard" the spoils from the thief. The cheerful illustrations, the lively reiterations of the title phrase "Stop, thief!", and the sweet, gullible protagonist Max will delight young readers.
Profile Image for Kate McGinty aka Caryn Caldwell.
434 reviews381 followers
September 27, 2014
Someone is stealing all the farmer's crops, and Max the dog is on the case, but even though he's sure he has the right suspect, it turns out the real thieves are right under his nose.

This book is very entertaining for children as well as adults, and the cute illustrations pair well with the text. If read with a sense of wink-wink-nod-nod fun, kids will likely catch on to the irony and feel very smart for figuring out who the real culprits are -- especially since none of the actual characters in the book have a clue.
Profile Image for Ryan.
5,754 reviews33 followers
June 23, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. Max the dogs is given the job of finding the garden thief who has been stealing all the yummy things to eat. He is sure he knows who the thief is and goes chasing him about the farm. The only problem I have with this title, is that it feels unfinished. The readers know that Max has been chasing the wrong villein, but Max never finds out. It seems too open ended for me.
Profile Image for Lisa D.
3,171 reviews45 followers
September 2, 2014
Cute book, beautiful watercolor illustrations
Profile Image for Moon Shine Art Spot ~ Lisa.
440 reviews22 followers
July 20, 2014
BOOK DESCRIPTION:

"Max," said the farmer to his dog one day, "can you catch a thief?" Of course! He can catch anything! And Max eagerly sets off on a quest to find the culprit who has been stealing the farmer's fruits and vegetables. Within moments, the dog is confident he has spotted the thief -- a tiny blue bug, working on a carrot top. "Stop, thief!" Max cries as the bug flies away. Undaunted, Max chases after the bug, from the carrots to the berries to the beans and the cherries, until, eventually, Max watches in satisfaction as the bug flies away over the farm fence. What Max totally misunderstands in his enthusiasm, however -- and what youngsters will figure out right away -- is that the tiny blue bug isn't the thief at all. The real thieves are hiding in plain sight, right under his nose! Author Heather Tekavec has created a perfect storytime choice in this fun and funny picture book, as the kid appeal of being "in the know" while the lovable dog remains clueless will surely invite repeated readings. This story provides an excellent opportunity for discussions about jumping to conclusions and blaming others, or even about life on a farm. It also offers terrific lessons for building early literacy skills, such as moving beyond what is strictly presented in the text and critically thinking about what can be observed in the exuberant and friendly artwork by illustrator Pierre Pratt.

BOOK REVIEW:

I was so happy to read and review this free copy of STOP THIEF provided for an honest review. The illustrations and main character Max were so fun and joyful. Young readers will adore this anxious to please, lovable little pup.

Great book for children's opportunities for discussion and learning while enjoying Max's discoveries along the way. Wonderful picture book that will get children thinking ahead as the story progressed.
Profile Image for Venus.
500 reviews4 followers
October 22, 2014
Review originally posted on Children's Atheneum

Someone is stealing the farmer's fruits and vegetables. Not to worry, Max will catch the thief. After spying a tiny blue bug on a carrot, Max gives chase to the culprit. Along the way he meets other animals who try to help him, although it is very obvious that the real thieves are right under Max's nose.

I always thought that I was a rather unobservant person, but I believe the most oblivious award can now be handed to Max. Kids will like this fun book where they get to be that much smarter than the main character. That element along makes this book work so well, because kids absolutely love feeling like they are smart and figuring out the mystery before anyone else does. Perhaps the best "twist" is that the thief is never caught, which only adds to that satisfying mystery element. There is also the element of determination, even if Max never really finds the thief, that shows his dedication. Pierre Pratt's illustrations, like his other books, are colorful and full of movement. With all the different animals and the built-in audience participation, I can see this book working very well in a classroom or story-time setting.
Profile Image for Walt  Bristow.
30 reviews5 followers
Read
June 27, 2020
Can Max, the farmer’s dog, catch the thief who has been stealing the carrots, beans, berries and cherries? Of course, he can! Max can catch anything. Children will enjoy this delightful story with a meaning written by Heather Tekavec and illustrated by Pierre Pratt. Max’s prime suspect is a bug he finds chewing on some carrot leaves. The bug escapes (of course!) and we get to follow a very clueless Max all over the farm, encountering other animals who, although they’re not sure they’ve seen the bug, do offer to protect the carrots and beans and berries and cherries – and are not nearly as clueless as Max. Children will quickly figure out what’s really going on while poor Max remains as clueless as ever. And they will enjoy the party the animals plan for Max after he is successful is chasing the bug off the farm. Almost makes me want to go make a nice, healthy smoothie with berries and cherries!

Released August 1, 2014. Review based on a copy provided by NetGalley.com
Profile Image for Camille.
519 reviews1 follower
January 7, 2015
At first crack of the cover, I was turned off by the small font size of the text. I think whoever had that idea was really concerned about the text detracting from the really nicely done (In gouache on paper, according to the front notes) illustrations. Even after I finished this story, I still wished they would've went a little bigger on the font, but I do appreciate that the smaller font offers a picture-reading/narrative skill building opportunity for early readers.
That technical aspect aside, I thought this story of a naive dog on a hunt for a produce-thief was very cute and would be perfect story for a parent or teacher who was trying to teach kids (or adults, for that matter) how to pay attention to the details... to see the trees for the forest, so to speak.
I would pair this with Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and/or I Want My Hat Back for a whodunit themed storytime.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
356 reviews7 followers
February 25, 2015
A great story that is about a dog who is asked to find a thief by his master. He is not sure who or what the thief is, but the vegetables in his garden are becoming less and less available. I must say that both my five year old and my eight year old enjoyed his book. My eight year was able to read it to her brother very easily and both enjoyed the graphics. The story flowed very smoothly and both found the end to be funny. I was very grateful to have received this book as a giveaway from both goodreads and the author. I highly recommend this book for both parents and school libraries. I plan on showing this book to my son's kindergarten teacher and seeing if she would like to add this to her classroom. I honestly believe the other kids would enjoy it.
248 reviews
July 19, 2014
A cute book about max, a dog who is asked by a farmer to catch the thief who is stealing all of his carrots, berries, beans, and cherries. Max sets out to catch the thief and sees a bug who is sitting on the carrot tops. Max thinks he has his thief and is off in pursuit. He talks to other animals on the farm, including a bunny, and all of the encourage Max and offer to help protect the crops not realizing that each of them is the thief and not the bug.

Younger children will enjoy the story while older kids (and adults) will chuckle as they realize what Max does not. In addition, the illustrations are bright and colorful.

Received my copy from Netgalley
Profile Image for Veronica ⭐️.
1,334 reviews291 followers
July 29, 2014
This is a beautifully illustrated children's book with bright colourful pictures.
I read the story to a few children aged 2 and 3 years. They didn't quite catch onto the concept that Max was after the wrong thief but they loved Max chasing the bright blue bug and it was exciting to turn the pages to see if Max had caught the bug.
They also liked all the animals and picking out the farmer in the background and seeing what he was doing.
This story will definitely grow with your child and as they get older they will comprehend more of what is happening.
Even though the whole concept of the story went over my little ones heads, they still loved it.
Profile Image for Barbara.
15k reviews315 followers
August 25, 2014
When a farmer enlists the services of his dog Max in catching the thief who has been stealing all his produce, Max is quick to get on the case. After he spies a bug on a carrot, he is sure he has the culprit within his sights. But the bug leads him on a merry chase, and he's so focuses on it that he can't see what's going on around him in the farmer's fields. The lively gouache illustrations reveal that the thief is much closer to home than Max or the farmer realize. This picture book offers many instructional possibilities, but it's also just lots of fun to read and follow Max as he follows that bug.
Profile Image for Stefanie Burns.
792 reviews3 followers
July 9, 2017
Max, a dog, is asked by his farmer owner to catch the thief that has been eating the carrots, berries, beans, and cherries. Max spots a blue bug and determines he's the culprit. As he chases him away he comes across Rabbit who is eating the carrots. Max tells him he's chasing the thief who is eating the berries. Rabbit offers to guard the berries while Max continues the chase. This happens repeatedly with the different foods and animals. In the end, you can probably guess what happens.
The illustrations are nice and inviting and so is the story. Kids will enjoy. Use as an additional selection, not a primary one. Good for a Kindergarten unit on farms.
Profile Image for Lady.
1,185 reviews11 followers
October 6, 2014
Jumping To Conclusions Makes You Miss The Reality Right Before Your Eyes

This adorably illustrated fun and funny book teaches the dangers of single mindedness and not paying attention to your surroundings. It also teaches that bad things happen when you jump to conclusions. This is a sweet cautionary tale that can be easily understood and I loved it! I would love to read more books by this author/illustrator team and think my kids would really enjoy them!

***This book is written at a grade school level but is entirely appropriate to be read to younger children
Profile Image for Meghan Nels.
411 reviews35 followers
July 1, 2014
Max, is an adorable, hardworking farm dog. His farmer gives him the task of catching the thief who is eating food from the farm. Max immediately sets out on his mission to catch the thief! Max's attempts to catch the supposed thief are hysterical and I found myself chuckling at his various run-ins with different animals. Stop, Thief would be a fun and entertaining read aloud younger students would thoroughly enjoy!
Profile Image for Lynn.
2,882 reviews15 followers
January 19, 2015
Clever to have the animals helping protect the goods! Children will quickly see the dog's folly!
I wonder why the author used four instead of the magic three usually found in stories.
I could give the story a four if the illustrations were stronger - it's colorful but the broad strokes lack detail. I do like the perspective of down near the ground with the dog and up in the air with the birds.
Profile Image for Andréa.
12.1k reviews112 followers
August 27, 2016
Oh, what a silly dog Max is! He's so determined to catch the thief stealing the farmer's plants that he misses the answers right in front of him. Kids will giggle as Max chases the thief across the farm, and they'll be eager to point out what Max has missed. Definitely a fun read.

Note: I received a digital galley of this book through NetGalley.
Profile Image for Holly Mueller.
2,568 reviews8 followers
December 20, 2014
Max is directed by the farmer to catch the thief that is eating all the carrots, berries, beans and cherries. He sets off with determination. Kids will love it when they figure out who the thieves really are in this book. Max is so earnest in his attempts to catch who he thinks the thief is. Cute!
Profile Image for Jill.
1,501 reviews14 followers
January 8, 2015
Very cute book about a clueless, but hard-working little dog who is trying to find the thief that's eating all the crops. As he chases what he thinks is the culprit, a little bug, he speaks with all the actual thieves along the way. Kids will enjoy being in on the joke. My be a little long for some storytimes.
Profile Image for Kelsey.
159 reviews16 followers
August 2, 2014
Max is a dog readers will love. He will stop at nothing to protect the beans, berries, carrots, and beans being stolen from his farm. Readers will have to infer the identity of the true thief, since Max was misguided. Great story to read-aloud, children will love it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews

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