• Age: 4 to 7
• Grade: p to 2

Scout and Daisy are gathering pumpkins to make pumpkin pie when Scout mentions spotting a hanging food catcher on his garden gate. But what is a hanging food catcher? Join Scout and Daisy as they find clues to solve the Case of the Hanging Food Catcher.

About THE GUMBOOT KIDS SERIES

CBC Books, Best Books of the Year -- Canadian Picture Books

"A most charming and instructive collection of nature mystery books which encourages children to head outside and discover their natural world." -- Children's Book News

A celebration of nature, curiosity, discovery and mindfulness!

Adapted from the award-winning TV show Scout and the Gumboot Kids, this outstanding series of nature mystery books celebrates the joy and wonder of mindfully exploring the natural world.

Perfect for inquisitive young minds, The Gumboot Kids' nature mysteries feature beloved characters, Scout and Daisy, working through a series of clues in order to crack the case. In each mystery Scout and Daisy confirm their findings with a trip to the library where they verify the evidence they've gathered in nature and solve the mystery before having a mindful moment to reflect on their journey.

With beautifully rendered and painstakingly detailed art, Scout and Daisy's adventures are a visual feast that will have kids poring over the pages time and time again.

Each book concludes with two pages of field notes on the mystery subject, as well as a nature craft inspired by the mystery, for kids to try at home.

Praise for previous titles in the series:

"The felted wool mice and their miniature world are adorable and will invite children to savor the tiny details. Charming and informative picture books that will help young children discover nature." -- School Library Journal

Eric Hogan's profile page

Tara Hungerford's profile page

Eric Hogan and Tara Hungerford are a husband-and-wife team who run Imagine Create Media and are the creators of The Gumboot Kids. They live and create with their two children in Vancouver, British Columbia.

I don't know who creates the felted mice or their woollen sweaters, hats and scarves, but that labour-intensive work has paid off in charming characters and scenes.... They provide meaningful introductions to a variety of topics based in the natural world by captivating youngsters with delightful characters and inspiring creativity and an interest in that outside world. With The Case of the Hanging Food Catcher, children will probably never look at a spider or its web in the same way again, and instead be inspired to organize their own explorations of the natural world.

CanLit for Little Canadians

We give these books two enthusiastic thumbs up! The stories are entertaining and heartwarming, but also easy enough for a younger child to read. Each story is an engaging mystery and has a little lesson inside about nature and animals. Educational and fun! We really enjoy the "life like" images in these books depicting the characters (which are super cute making them younger kid friendly). The visuals make those characters almost come to life while we read the stories! Amazing art both literally and visually. You and your family will genuinely love this book series! These books are geared for ages 3-7; however, they are an excellent source for any young reader under the age of 10.

Ottawa Mommy Club Blog

Will encourage young readers to be curious and creative about the natural world. The storyline is very gentle and reassuring, and it models learning while actively exploring nature. Highly Recommended.

Canadian Review of Materials

The delightful, photographic illustrations feature two needle-felted mice, Scout and Daisy. Inquisitive young readers will enjoy exploring the details of the mice and their carefully constructed, three dimensional, miniature settings... This little nature mystery is an excellent way to introduce young students to learning experiences in nature. The book ends with field notes, a glossary of terms, a labelled diagram of a spider, illustrated information boxes about spiders and webs, as well as the instructions for a nature craft.

Canadian Teacher Magazine