Mr. Beagle Climbs Signal Hill

Lori Doody is back with her third quirky and charming mystery story in the Mr. Beagle series, the first two being Mr. Beagle Goes to Rabbittown and Mr. Beagle and the Georgestown Mystery. What kind of puzzle is Mr. Beagle facing this time? And how does he solve the problem? Let’s dive into this newly published picture book and find out.

Mr. Beagle is on his way to a beautiful mountain hike and some whale watching on Signal Hill in St. John's, NL. But something curious starts to happen while he is climbing the hill with a lot of other folks: people are missing snacks from their backpacks! It looks like that, wherever Mr. Beagle goes, mysteries follow. Taking out his whale watching binoculars and using his sharp-sensed nose, Mr. Beagle is determined to find the suspects who are responsible for the missing snacks. As usual, solving mysteries is not an easy task, especially when so many people are on the hill. Everyone looks suspicious. Luckily, Mr. Beagle would never lets go of his determination, and he successfully locates the thieves! But, to his surprise, they are four harried hare sisters who need more help than punishment because it’s an under-supplied food truck and their desperation to open the business that drive the hares to make the thefts. Together, folks forgive the sisters and donate their snacks to keep the food truck running. Signal Hill now is a scenery spot with delicious treats!

Again, I enjoyed reading Doody’s light-hearted story and her goofy, endearing illustrations. This third baby in the Mr. Beagle picture book family is as delightful as its older siblings, radiating a fun and easy vibe, making it a great read for an afternoon chill. However, the storyline and the values embedded in it did provoke some thoughts of mine. It was uncomfortable reading the part about the hare sisters stealing supplies from innocent hikers. I agree that everyone makes mistakes and should be given a second change; however, stealing from others for one’s own benefit, then getting away with simply an apology, and being rewarded with donations and more support seem to send out a controversial message to the young readers. It certainly leaves room to invite more discussions, and maybe that was the intention of the author? It feels like the story of Mr. Beagle climbs Signal Hill was written in a hurried and hasty situation in which logical loopholes inevitably emerged.