Oink and Gobble and the Missing Cupcakes is a colourful book starring a pig detective and the doubting turkey. When Oink the pig discovers his cupcakes are missing, he looks for clues. When he spots BIG footprints, he’s convinced they belong to Bigfoot. Do you agree with the statement that “everyone loves cupcakes” and therefore it must have been Bigfoot who took the cupcakes? Now, he must convince Gobble the turkey. Oink the pig is very imaginative, whereas Gobble has a more serious view of life. How will children react to the detective work in the book? Do they agree with Oink or Gobble? Author Norman Whaler has written an interesting mystery that can involve children in searching for clues to solve the mystery. At the same time, children will see other farm animals.

Oink and Gobble and the Missing Cupcakes is an interesting story of two different animals with different views but they are best friends. I love the colorful illustrations with bold colors. Illustrated by artist Mohammad Shayan, the images of farm animals and landscapes are very well done. Each image has butterflies, birds, or apples that children can search and find or count to get even more out of the book. Can children find animals in each image and can they name each animal? If you download the Kindle version, you’ll hear audio sounds, as well. So, who took the cupcakes? Author Norman Whaler takes us on an adventure of different opinions and we must evaluate the arguments. Is there enough evidence to prove Bigfoot took the cupcakes? Follow along with Oink and Gobble to find out.

Oink and Gobble and the Missing Cupcakes by Norman Whaler is the story of a pair of two unlikely friends, with Oink being a pig and Gobble being a turkey. The two live on Little Bottom farm with many other animals. Oink is an adventurous pig who loves solving mysteries and is a lover of everything unknown. Gobble, on the other hand, is a realist and likes facts. She’s also cautious and calm, yet finds a great friend in Oink. The other farm animals think Oink is out of his mind because of his beliefs but Gobble doesn’t care because he’s her friend. When going to retrieve two cupcakes that he hid in a bucket, Oink discovers they have been taken. The two begin searching for the missing cupcakes because Oink is starving. Putting on his detective hat, Oink decides to investigate who stole his hidden snacks. The two come across a trail of large footprints that the little pig automatically decides belong to Bigfoot. Meanwhile, Gobble tries to get her friend to listen to reason. The footprints could be from anything and there’s no proof that Bigfoot even exists, yet Oink believes he is correct. Will Oink prove Gobble wrong and find the Bigfoot he believes stole his delicious snack?

Oink and Gobble and the Missing Cupcakes is a really adorable story with an uncommon message to parents and children. Just because someone has different beliefs than you doesn’t make them wrong or invalid. We have Oink, who is a very open-minded pig and believes in all possibilities and creatures. Then we have Gobble, who most would consider more down to earth and someone that needed facts to accept if something is real or not. What I like is that despite Gobble being a realist, she doesn’t cut Oink down or criticize his beliefs in the unknown like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. She poses questions for her pig friend, but she is nice enough to humor him. I think the message Norman Whaler delivers is clear; seeing isn’t believing, believing is seeing. Just because you haven’t seen something with your own two eyes doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. This is a large world, and we live in one of many galaxies; the possibilities are endless and sometimes it’s nice to keep an open mind, especially with our friends that believe in such things. I also really loved the illustrations. They conveyed the message very well. This is definitely a book I would recommend.