Copyright © 1975 by Stanley and Janice Berenstain.

  Cover art copyright © 2002 by Berenstain Enterprises, Inc.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

  www.berenstainbears.com

  www.randomhouse.com/kids

  Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data.

  Berenstain, Stanley. The Bear detectives and the case of the prize pumpkin. “B-60.”

  SUMMARY: The Bear family don their detective gear and try to solve the mystery of the missing prize pumpkin. [1. Bears—Fiction. 2. Stories in rhyme.] I. Berenstain, Janice, joint author. II. Title. PZ8.3.B4493Bf [E] 75-1603

  eISBN: 978-0-375-98317-7

  v3.1

  Title Page

  Copyright

  First Page

  Will they solve the case?

  Will he get his

  pumpkin back?

  Where can it be?

  Who can it be?

  Will they be much help?

  Will the Bear Detectives get their bear?

  Help!

  My pumpkin won

  first prize at the fair.

  Now I can’t find it

  anywhere!

  Do not worry,

  Farmer Ben.

  The BEAR DETECTIVES

  will find it again!

  Your prize pumpkin stolen?

  Never fear.

  Great Bear Detective Pop is here!

  I will find it.

  You will see.

  Just watch

  my old dog Snuff and me.

  But, Papa,

  our Bear Detective Book

  will tell us how

  to catch the crook.

  “Lesson One.

  First look around

  for any TRACKS

  that are on the ground.”

  Don’t waste your time

  with books and stuff!

  We’re on the trail!

  Just follow Snuff!

  We’ll catch that crook.

  We’ll show you how.

  Snuff and I

  will catch the …

  … cow?

  Say! Look down there!

  Do you see what I see?

  There’s a

  WHEELBARROW TRACK

  going by this tree!

  A good detective

  writes things down:

  “Checked out a cow,

  white and brown.”

  The track ends here.

  What shall we do?

  We’ll look in the book.

  It says,

  “Lesson Two.

  Look all around

  for another clue.”

  Humf! You can look around

  as much as you please.

  I’m going to follow

  these carrots and peas …

  … and eggshells

  and corncobs

  and other stuff.

  This must be the way!

  Let’s go, Snuff!

  Listen, Snuff!

  Hear that munching?

  That pumpkin thief is

  pumpkin lunching!

  O.K., thief!

  You’ve munched your last.

  Your pumpkin-stealing

  days are past.

  Look here! Look here,

  Papa Bear.

  We found a new clue

  over there.

  You see

  we found

  a PUMPKIN LEAF …

  Aha! You’ve found a pumpkin leaf.

  Just show me where you found this leaf.

  Then I will find that pumpkin thief.

  The pumpkin thief!

  I’ve found him, Snuff!

  Let’s grab him quick.

  He sure looks tough.

  Be careful, Pop.

  Lesson Three in the book

  says, “Before you leap,

  be sure to look.”

  Hang on, Snuff!

  Hold him tight!

  This pumpkin thief

  can really fight.

  Did you find any clues

  in that scarecrow, Pop?

  Shall we keep on looking,

  or shall we stop?

  Hmmmmmmmmm …

  Checked out a cow,

  three pigs in a pen,

  and a scarecrow owned

  by Farmer Ben.

  Found some tracks

  and a pumpkin leaf.

  Still haven’t found

  that pumpkin thief.

  Look! By that haystack!

  I see something blue!

  It’s the first-prize ribbon.

  That’s a very good clue!

  A haystack!

  The perfect place to hide.

  I’ll bet the thief is right inside.

  Pumpkin thief,

  don’t try to run.

  Your pumpkin-stealing

  days are done!

  But, Papa …

  I was trying to say,

  I don’t think the thief

  is in THAT hay.

  Hmmmmmm …

  Ben’s haystack

  is another spot

  where the pumpkin thief

  is not.

  Say! Look over there!

  Look in that door!

  PUMPKIN SEEDS

  all over the floor!

  He’s in the barn! This is it!

  Hand me that detective kit.

  I’ll snap on these handcuffs.

  I’ll take him to jail.

  Pumpkin thief,

  it’s the end of the trail.

  Old Snuff,

  this may be tough.

  It looks

  like we’ve caught

  a whole GANG

  of crooks.

  Checked out a cow,

  brown and white.

  Checked out a scarecrow

  after a fight.

  Checked out a haystack.

  Three pigs in a pen …

  Put the cuffs on

  Farmer Ben’s hen.

  Found some tracks,

  a ribbon, a leaf …

  some pumpkin seeds,

  BUT STILL NO THIEF!

  Small Bear, I guess you better look

  at what it says there in your book.

  Lesson Four—

  here’s how it goes—

  “A good detective

  will USE HIS NOSE!”

  Hmmmmmmm …

  Pumpkin seeds,

  pumpkin shell—

  and …

  aha!

  I smell a

  PUMPKIN SMELL!

  The pumpkin was pied

  by Mrs. Ben.

  The case is solved.

  Good work, men!

  The BEAR DETECTIVES

  have done it again!

  MMMMMMM!

  My dear, you and I

  will SHARE first prize.

  ME for the pumpkin,

  YOU for the pies!

 

 

  Stan Berenstain, The Bear Detectives

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