Product Description

Shortly after a breakfast generously supplied with pancakes, Natethe Great got an urgent call from Annie.

"I lost a picture," said Annie. "Can you help me find it?"

"Of course," said Nate. "I have found lost balloons, books, slippers, chickens. Even a lost goldfish. Now I, Nate the Great, will find a lost picture."

"Oh, good," Annie said.

Nate, with the cool detachment of a Sam Spade, immediately plunges into his new and baffling case. Getting all the facts, asking the right questions, narrowing down the suspects. Nate, the boy detective who "likes to work alone," solves the mystery and tracks down the culprit. In the process he also discovers the whereabouts of Super Hex, the missing cat.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1577909 in Books
• Published on: 1999-12-28
• Released on: 1999-12-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 64 pages

From the Publisher
Shortly after a breakfast generously supplied with pancakes, Natethe Great got an urgent call from Annie.

"I lost a picture," said Annie. "Can you help me find it?"

"Of course," said Nate. "I have found lost balloons, books, slippers, chickens. Even a lost goldfish. Now I, Nate the Great, will find a lost picture."

"Oh, good," Annie said.

Nate, with the cool detachment of a Sam Spade, immediately plunges into his new and baffling case. Gatting all the facts, asking the right questions, narrowing down the suspects. Nate, the boy detective who "likes to work alone," solves the mystery and tracks down the culprit. In the process he also discovers the whereabouts of Super Hex, the missing cat.

From the Inside Flap
Shortly after a breakfast generously supplied with pancakes, Natethe Great got an urgent call from Annie.

"I lost a picture," said Annie. "Can you help me find it?"

"Of course," said Nate. "I have found lost balloons, books, slippers, chickens. Even a lost goldfish. Now I, Nate the Great, will find a lost picture."

"Oh, good," Annie said.

Nate, with the cool detachment of a Sam Spade, immediately plunges into his new and baffling case. Getting all the facts, asking the right questions, narrowing down the suspects. Nate, the boy detective who "likes to work alone," solves the mystery and tracks down the culprit. In the process he also discovers the whereabouts of Super Hex, the missing cat.

About the Author
Born in Portland, Maine, in 1928, Marjorie Weinman Sharmat dreamed of becoming a writer. Little did she know that she would be the author of more than 70 books for children of all ages. Another of her childhood dreams, that of becoming a detective, has also been realized in her most popular Nate the Great series, begun in 1972.

Many of Sharmat's books have been Literary Guild selections and chosen as Books of the Year by the Library of Congress. Several have been made into films for television, including Nate the Great Goes Undercover, winner of the Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival Award. Nate the Great Saves the King of Sweden has been named one of the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing.

Customer Reviews

Nate the Great Detective Debut
NATE THE GREAT is the first book in a wonderful series that introduces young readers to the world of mysteries, clues, and pancakes that is Nate the Great. Shortly after a big breakfast of pancakes, Nate is contacted by his friend Annie. She has a mystery for him. The picture, painted in yellow, she did of her dog Fang is missing. She wants Nate to find the picture for her. Nate leaves a note for his mother and is in hot pursuit of the clues that will let him know where the missing picture is. During the course of his investigation, Nate meets Rosamond and her four cats-Super Hex, Big Hex, Little Hex, and Plain Hex, and Annie's little brother Harry. One of them holds the secret of where the missing picture is.

Marjorie Weinman Sharmat is the author of over twenty Nate the Great adventures, including NATE THE GREAT STALKS STUPIDWEED, NATE THE GREAT AND THE BORING BEACH BAG, NATE THE GREAT AND THE HALLOWEEN HUNT, and NATE THE GREAT AND THE MUSHY VALENTINE. She has written dozens of books for young readers. She named Nate the Great after her father. Her books have been named as Children's Choice books and Junior Literary Guild selections, and been picked as Books of the Year by the Library of Congress. Nate the Great was named after the author's father.

As in every Nate the Great book she writes, Marjorie Sharmat plays fairly with young readers (ages 4-8) regarding the mystery and the clues. Her prose is tight, clean, and concise. Reading aloud to younger readers is an absolute hoot, and if the reader can manage the tough-guy private eye voice of a Mickey Spillane novel, the effect on young readers is even more mesmerizing. The illustrations by Marc Simont-the long-time artist of the Nate the Great series-complements the story very well, lending humor, clues, and vibrant color for young eyes. NATE THE GREAT is the perfect place to join the series because this book sets up all of Nate's world, from the frantic call by friends that have lost something, to the note Nate always leaves his mom on the refrigerator explaining his whereabouts, to the regulars that make up Nate's world.

The entire Nate the Great series is recommended to younger readers and parents who love reading to their children that might have tired of (or memorized!) all of the rhyming Dr. Seuss books. This series makes a great transition to leap from to Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys later.

Hilarious children's book in verse
"Nate the Great" is, in a word, great. In Nate the Great, Marjorie W. Sharmat has created a hero for young boys. He acts very independently, walking around the neighborhood by himself, making his own pancakes, etc. but he wears his rubbers, and he *always* leaves a note for his mother. Marc Simont really comes through in his laid-back illustrations (some shaded, some in color) that reveal important points of the case, but do not force things down the readers' throats. Also, like the writer, Simont manages humor without going overboard.

As in the best children's books, the writing style is simple yet powerful, like a haiku. Although the "Nate the Great" series is written in full sentences, Sharmat has slyly created a wonderful introduction to poetry-that-doesn't-rhyme with his carefully placed line breaks and page breaks. Here is the first page of text: "My name is Nate the Great. / I am a detective. / I work alone. / Let me tell you about my last case: / I had just eaten breakfast. / It was a good breakfast."

The first book in the Nate the Great series is by far the best, because the funniest parts are in the character development that, of course, takes a back seat in later volumes. The establishing shots of and paragraphs talking about Nate, Annie, Fang, and Rosamond are absolutely hilarious. Continuity watchdogs will note Fang's slightly more menacing nature (and color change) and Annie's lost fascination for yellow in later books. Of course, kids won't notice or care.

The official reviews don't make it clear which books in the series are actually in this volume. The cover is definitely not the original cover of book 1. You might want to look into that before buying.

This series is great fun for little kids and whoever is lucky enough to be reading to them. Get all the Nate you can find!

Great for Boys - but Girls will like it too.
In my opinion, there seems to be a shortage of reading material specifically targeted to young boys. My son loves Nate the Great, and identifies with him. He has all the books of the series memorized. This series of books promotes logical thinking skills and deductive reasoning. Thanks to Marjorie for creating such a wonderful character.