A fish tracks down a friend’s missing pearl in Adam Moryto’s picture book The Sassy Snapper.

Sassy Snapper is a fish who enjoys solving mysteries and puzzles. When Curious Clam’s shiny pearl goes missing, Sassy takes the case. She talks to Confident Crab and Obnoxious Octopus, and is joined in her quest by Grumpy Grouper and Antsy Anglerfish, whose built-in light comes in handy.

Finding the culprit, Sassy challenges the thief to a riddle contest, but he tries to cheat his way out of the deal. After a confrontation with Sassy and her friends, the thief backs down and hands over the pearl, expressing admiration for their efforts.

The story hits a sweet spot: suspenseful enough to keep young readers interested, but straightforward enough to be easily understood. Sassy is a dogged detective, but bright and cheery as she conducts her investigation.

The story is written in rhyming verse, with rhyming words boldfaced. This is a simple but effective style that makes it easier to find the rhymes and maintain the verses’ rhythm. However, the syllables from line to line are often uneven, and some of the rhymes seem forced; for example, “Sassy was clever, with a curious mind […] / From tiny sea snails to whales so wide,/ no fishy puzzle Sassy let slide!”

Questionable word choices also occasionally distract, such as: “Oh Confident Crab,/ with your claws so mighty,/ Have you seen a lost pearl?/ It’s lost, and Clam just ain’t righty” and “The two boys looked at each other/ with trembles in their fins […]”

The book’s art is engaging, with plenty of cute, colorful, undersea details. Jellyfish, cuttlefish and sea horses appear throughout, and when Curious Clam gets the pearl back, it’s placed like a little white nose, under Clam’s eyes and above the mouth.

The imperfect rhyming scheme can make reading the story aloud awkward, but overall, children should enjoy this fun detective romp featuring a fish and her friends.

Also available in paperback and ebook.