Why is Bernard the Bear baffled?

Well, for one thing, he has lost his whistle and he can't figure out where it is.

For another thing, he has just met Jack Jones-one of the High-Rise Private Eyes and a very fine detective in his own right-and Jack won't stop talking about . . . pretzels!

Luckily for the baffled bear (and for kids who are ready to read on their own), Jack takes the mystery (and the bear) back to the high-rise to meet Bunny Brown.

Bunny is the brains of the operation, and she quickly determines that it's high time for the High-Rise Private Eyes to open case file #7: The Case of the Baffled Bear.

Cynthia Rylant's gift for conveying the enchantment and beauty to be found in everyday life is seen in such award-winning books as Missing May, winner of the Newbery Medal; A Fine White Dust, a Newbery Honor Book; and The Relatives Came and When I Was Young in the Mountains, both Caldecott Honor Books.

Books she's written and illustrated include the much-beloved Dog Heaven and Cat Heaven.

Cynthia Rylant grew up in West Virginia. She now lives in the Pacific Northwest.