I love a good illustrated chapter book series for young readers, but I especially love when I find a great mystery series full of animal facts and puns!

Heather Preusser earned a BA in English and art history from Williams College, an MA in education from the University of Colorado, and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine. When not writing, Heather teaches high school English, bikes the European countryside, and attempts to learn ridiculously long German words. She and her husband reside in Colorado. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.

HEDGEHOG WHODUNIT is a fully illustrated chapter book series published by Andrews McMeel Publishing. THE CAROUSEL CAPER is the second book in the series (but could easily be read by itself without missing too much). Hitch is a hedgehog who lives in the city zoo. He is a reluctant detective to his sidekick Vinnie (a rat). He only becomes involved in solving these crimes because he would desperately like to get back to his necessary 20 hours of sleep (thankyouverymuch). In this book, a wooden cheetah is stolen from the zoo’s carousel and Hitch must figure out whodunit as quickly as possible. The animal facts and puns sprinkled throughout the stories are icing on the cake, as is old-school detective lingo. This is a recipe that I would’ve eaten up as a younger reader. Throw in fantastic illustrations by Gal Weizman and they’re a sure recipe for success.

Welcome Heather!

Me: For those who might not be familiar with your work, can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey? How has that brought you to this book series?

Heather: I’ve always been a reader and a writer, but I started writing children’s picture books specifically in 2011 when I enrolled in one of Linda Ashman’s classes at the Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver. I joined SCBWI; signed with my agent, Janine Le, a few years later; and published my debut picture book, A SYMPHONY OF COWBELLS, a couple years after that. I was on my way to writing picture books!

And then I workshopped a picture book manuscript about a sleuthing sloth in an Inked Voices workshop with Sean McCarthy. (Hitch, my hedgehog detective, started out as a sloth, but I had to change him after learning about Cyndi Marko’s SLOTH SLEUTH). Sean—and most everyone in the group—noticed my manuscript leaned more toward chapter books than picture books. I wasn’t sure what to do with their feedback, especially since I knew nothing about chapter books. Surely, I could turn this chapter book wannabe into a picture book, something I was more comfortable writing. So I tried. For three years. But it was like trying to cram my dad’s ancient, oversized heavy cotton sleeping bag into a tiny stuff sack. There were always chapter book-y bits and pieces falling out, like the noir genre, the punny voice, and a more complex plot. So I came to this series a bit reluctantly at first, which—coincidently—is similar to Hitch. He’d rather spend his days napping than finding felons. Now, of course, we’re both ready to go the whole hedgehog! (Okay, probably not Hitch—he’d still rather snooze.)

Me: I love your hedgehog detective and his trusty rat sidekick! This is such a unique series with such fun mysteries! What inspired these stories?

Heather: Thank you, Jena! I read A LOT of mentor texts while drafting this series in 2018. I was especially drawn to Doreen Cronin’s CHICKEN SQUAD books, which came out between 2015-2019. I loved these four little mystery-solving, crime-fighting chicks on a mission, and I appreciated how they each had their own distinct personality. Add the deadpan narrative voice of J.J. Tully, a retired search-and-rescue dog who’d rather be left alone than keep an eye on these puffs of fluff, and I was an instant fan.

I also watched a lot of cartoons (as per Marcie Colleen’s advice from her Crafting the Chapter Book Class through The Writing Barn). Of course, I was intrigued by the zoo setting in The Penguins of Madagascar, a spin-off of the Madagascar movies that aired on TV between 2008-2014. Once again, I studied the different personalities of the four main characters: four penguins named Skipper, Kowalski, Private and Rico, who perform commando-like missions to protect their habitat. I was also captivated by the fast-paced plot and the clever humor.

Hitch’s character came to me almost fully formed. As you can see, his voice didn’t change in the first few lines between the first picture book draft:

“I know what you’re thinking…Sloths don’t sleuth. In fact…we have a reputation for not doing much of anything. But that’s bunk. Let me set the record straight. I run this joint. Name’s Syd, and this is Rat. He’s a rat (a.k.a. an informer).” (Author’s note: Rat is a rat.)

And the final, published draft of book one:

“I’ve heard it all before: Hedgehogs don’t hunt down hooligans. In fact, we have a reputation for not doing much of anything, which is baloney. Not that I eat baloney. Let me set the record straight.”

Since Hitch was going to be a slow-moving hedgehog, he needed to be quick-witted. And Vinnie, Hitch’s sidekick, needed to be the opposite. He needed to be fast, so I went with a rat. I also loved the play on words since, as the informer, he’s often ratting on the other zoo animals. I also made sure Vinnie wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed (not that tools or sheds are involved), and I thought it would be fun for an illustrator to draw lots of spy gear—it’s a mystery after all! Like Kowalski, Vinnie is a gadgeteer, only his gadgets are always malfunctioning: In book one, his voice-activated pen only activates if he talks like a pirate, and in book two it only works when he talks like a cowboy. He’s also a foodie at heart, so he’s always eating something—sometimes even the clues!

Me: This is a chapter book series with animal facts and old-fashioned detective lingo that I adore. What gave you the idea to incorporate both of those things? Is this a vastly different writing experience for you than some of the other genres you’ve written (i.e., picture books, etc.)?

Heather: Although the detective lingo came naturally as part of Hitch’s voice, I didn’t set out to include animal facts. Those emerged organically as Hitch and Vinnie bantered back and forth.

Writing chapter books was a steep learning curve for me! As I mentioned earlier, I was familiar with picture books. I had written a middle grade novel as part of my thesis for my MFA, but I didn’t know much about what came in between. Another takeaway from Marcie’s class was her layer-cake versus crumb-cake analogy: Chapter book writers construct in layers, allowing young readers to digest the text piece by piece. In contrast, novelists sprinkle crumbs of information throughout the book to avoid info-dumping. This analogy was so eye-opening. I had been attempting to make a crumb cake when I needed a slower, more layered approach. Once I felt confident about my layers in book one, I used my own book as a mentor text for books two and three.

The other big difference for me between writing picture books and chapter books was adding illustration notes. I was used to writing picture books where the writer needs to leave room for the illustrator to add to the story, creating a synergy between the words and the pictures. When we submitted HEDGEHOG WHODUNIT to Andrews McMeel, there were no illustration notes, and one of the first things Erinn Pascal, the editor, asked me to do was add fifty illustration notes. I was so reluctant at first. I wanted to push back and be like, “Gal’s got this”—and she did!—but I still had to do the work. I can’t think of a better illustrator for this project. I love Gal’s expressive characters—the humor and movement of her art match the words so well! I also love how she figured out a way to give a hedgehog a coat and suspenders. Thankfully, adding illustration notes became easier as the series progressed. I wrote most of the notes in book two while drafting, and then by book three I was often thinking of the visuals first: When animals train for the World Chompionships, what would be fun for Gal to draw? A team of synchronized swimming elephants, of course!

Me: Speaking of that old-fashioned detective lingo, I know some chapter book series have very strict parameters about vocabulary. Did you have to work hard to make sure the text wasn’t too difficult?  Did you have an editor help with the reading level of your vocabulary?

Heather: In earlier drafts of the first book, my agent and her intern, Julia Byers, helped me tone down the humor, especially at turning points in the case. I was having so much fun writing these punny animal antics that I threw in everything, and this detracted from important information. In chapter books, you want to make sure young, emergent readers can easily keep up with the story, especially in the first chapter.

In her editorial letter, Erinn mentioned how she admired the “fantastic Roald Dahl-like quality of not talking down to kids” in my writing. She pointed out a few words that were too advanced, but it was more than just diction; it was about trimming and adding context to make sure we achieved the sweet spot between being age-appropriate while also having high concept humor. 

Me: This is the second book in your fantastic series. Will there be more (please say yes!)? Will we get to see more of these zoo mysteries?

Heather: Yes! Book three, THE PROTECTIVE ORDER OF PEANUTS (P.O.O.P.) is scheduled to come out in 2026. This one involves a missing elephant, a secret society, and some questionable disguises.

Me: The illustrations by Gal Weizman are amazing. I love how she captures characters so perfectly in her depictions of them! Any favorite illustrations? Any illustration surprises?

Heather: I’m a sucker for fun end papers, so I love the map Gal created and that the publisher agreed to put it on the end pages of the hardcover. Speaking of maps, my five-year-old son and I pored over the map of Meerkat Manor for hours. I especially love the elevator and you-are-here-sign at the entrances. 

I also adore the allusion to book one: I won’t tell you where it is, but there’s a loveable missing panda in his lemur costume somewhere.

Gal even managed to make fleas look endearing. While interrogating some suspects, Vinnie suggests arranging a flea bargain (“It’s like a plea bargain, but it involves fleas”), and Gal created the cutest trio of fleas holding up signs: “Not guilty,” “Somewhat guilty” and “A little guilty.” 

Me: Ha! That was one of my favorite illustrations too. Any advice for new writers who might be interested in writing a chapter book series like this?

Heather: I would encourage new writers to be persistent. Thriller writer Brad Thor said, “the only difference between a published and unpublished author is that the published author doesn’t quit.” This is so true. Twelve years is a long time to stick with a project, and there were many instances when my commitment to this detective duo wavered: when it didn’t work out as a picture book, when we received nice rejections after the first round of submissions, when I had to change Hitch from a sloth to a hedgehog, when the publisher postponed book three. But I never gave up, and now I get to share a piece of my hedgehog heart with all of you!

Part of having grit is not having fear. For three years I was too afraid to try something new. Only when I put my worries aside and allowed myself to play on the page was I able to write the story in the way it wanted to be told.

I was on a run recently, listening to an episode of the SCBWI podcast, “Writing Poetry while Hiking with Kate Messner.” I admire Kate’s approach to both outdoor pursuits and writing: She said she begins both by asking herself “I wonder if I can do that.” She’s actually only interested in a writing project if she thinks she might not be able to pull it off. That’s what grabs her attention, what makes her excited to write, learn, and grow. I plan on channeling my inner Kate Messner from now on.

Wow! That’s great advice. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today Heather.

Dear readers, the second book in this series publishes tomorrow! It’s a funny mystery set in a zoo, chock-a-block full of animal facts, puns, and great illustrations. You won’t want to miss it.