First published in Great Britain by Collins in 2000
First published in paperback by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2001 This electronic edition published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2015
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Text copyright © Ian Whybrow 2000
Illustrations copyright © Tony Ross 2000
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Source ISBN: 9780006754527
Ebook Edition © MAY 2015 ISBN: 9780008140113
Version: 2015-06-19
The Office with the big desk in
Dear Mum and Dad,
Please please please PLEEEZ don’t make me come home to Murkshire to live in the Lair with you and Smells. Whyo Y can’t I stay here in Frettnin Forest with Yeller, Stubbs and Normus? Because we like being detectives, it is good. Stubbs has made us posh badges with his clever beak like this saying YFDA (for Yelloweyes Forest Detective Agency, did you know that?).
Also on our door he has done a nice new sing sine notice saying:
We are good solvers but not Smells. His brane is 2 small plus he did not want to be in the YFDA. He got all feddup and lairsick remember? That is Y he came back to Murkshire to live in the Lair with you, then he could be your darling baby pet, yes? So not my fault.
Go on, make him stay there, we do not want him back, messing up our detective stuff. Like sitting on the fingerprint pad and doing bottomprints on my notebook. Also, he is selfish saying nobody else can be the handcuffer, only him.
Go on.
Yours hopingly,
Little Wolf
My room
Dear Mum and Dad,
You did not say much to my last letter, only hmmph and grrrr, and where is Uncle Bigbad’s ghost? Find him quick or else!!!
We have been looking and looking, only no luck yet. Still, I have done you nice pics of what’s in our detective kit so you will get more cheery. Yeller sent off for it to Wolf Weekly (cheap). It is like this:
DETECTIVE KIT
Magnifying glass
Pawprint set
Handcuffs
Detective Notebook with stickers like INTERVIEW NOTES and CLUE NOTES and EVIDENCE and THINKY OUT PAGE ect.
Sharp pencil with earclip
Torch to help yellow eyes see in the dark
Penknife for sharp work
By the way, you say what new cases have we got to solve, grrrr? Answer, allsorts but confidenshul, privat, can’t say anything hem hem.
Yours acely,
LB Wolf
Co-Cheef Detective, YFDA
Dear Mamong et parp-parp (french),
No we have not found Mister Twister yet. Yes, I do remember he has shamed the name of Wolf by being a kidnapper and ghostnapping Uncle Bigbad in his whisky bottle. But do not fret and frown, we will solve this case soonly, easy cheesy. (Probly.) But just now we are a bit busy doing Tips for Tecs to help us. Do you like them?
TIPS FOR FOREST TECS
practise magnifying, pawprinting, handcuffing, sharpening (pencils) and shortpaw writing
Use your brute instinct
Use your keen beastly senses, such as eyes, ears, nose, also having a good lick
Find clues
Write about them in your notebook quick but no smudjis
Have a good think
Do plans for fast getawaysThen you will be Mister ACE Forest Detective and case solver, arrroooo!
Good, eh?
Yours cheefly,
L Wolf (son)
Shadow of my best tree
Dear Mum and Dad,
You keep saying what is the point of being your son if I do not blab my secret cases to my mum and dad? Oh OK then, I will say about just 1, but keep it in the Lair. It is called The Case of the Ants’ Lost Football Boots. Now I will say about the solving part.
The captain of Ants United FC came under our office door wearing his captain’s strip with his number on (Number 9999999). He said antly, “Hello, somebody has pinched all my team’s football boots, can you detect who dunnit?” Normus said, “Yes and I will bash them up for you.” But me and Yeller and Stubbs said, “No need for bashing, Normus. Just adding up, plus using your keen beastly senses.”
So Normus said, “Right then, how many boots got pinched?” and the captain said, “All the lot.” That was a hard sum to add up, because of ants having to times by loads of feet. But Yeller got the answer, 6 x 11 = 66. Then Normus said to the ant, “Hoy, have you got any reserves?”