the sandwich thief

The Sandwich Thief is a comical and modern mystery written by André Marois and illustrated by director/animator/illustrator Patrick Doyon.  Originally from Canada, it was the winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Illustrated Children’s Literature, French Language.  It made its way to the U.S. and was recently published by Chronicle Books.

Marin's food-loving parents pack him a dreamy lunch every day with special ingredients like bread baked with special flour from “a secret bakery run by kung fu monks” and his mother’s homemade mayonnaise beaten with eggs, mustard and oil.  Eventually jealousy strikes at school and someone pilfers one of his favorite sandwiches--Monday's ham, cheddar and kale.  Distraught (and hungry), Marin comes up with a list of suspects and with the help of his quick-thinking parents, formulates a plan to catch the hapless thief.  Just a note: there are a few stereotyped characters in the story—Elizabeth Bird gives a good run-down of them in her review for School Library Journal.