The Great Cake Mystery, written by Alexander McCall Smith and illustrated by Iain McIntosh. Anchor Books, Random House. 2012. $7.99 ages 7 and up

""I love cake, " Precious said. She closed her eyes and thought of some of the cakes she had enjoyed. Cakes with jam on top of them. Cakes sprinkled with sugar and then dipped in little colored sugarballs. There were so many cakes...and all of them were delicious. "Somebody took my cake, " Tapiwa complained."

This new children's book by Alexander McCall Smith is a precursor to his adult stories about Precious Ramotswe, the owner of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. I love those books and the television series that they spawned. What incredible characters he has created in them!

In this book, he shows us that Precious has been a solver of  mysteries from a very young age. As a child in Botswana, she is an avid listener to her father's stories. In one  particular favorite he tells about  an unwelcome village visit by a lion. As he regales her with the details, he notices that she has a detective's penchant for asking questions and reading people:

"When her father said to her that one day she might become a detective, she at first thought, What a strange idea, but then she asked herself, Why not? "Yes, I could be a detective, " Precious said. "But surely it will be years and years before I get a case."

She couldn't have known that her detective skills would stand her in good stead when food suddenly starts disappearing at school. One of her classmates blames Poloko, although he has no proof. Because Poloko is round and likes sweets, he could be the culprit. But, as good detectives are, Precious is cautious about blaming someone based on circumstantial evidence:

"But just because someone has lots of sweets does not mean that he has stolen them. One thing, you see, does not always lead to another. That is something that all detectives learn very early in their career."

Children will enjoy this simply told African story. Botswana is a warm and welcome setting, and readers will learn about the people there, as well as meet Precious and her schoolmates. The community that the author creates will be familiar to Smith's fans. He introduces secondary characters with a pronunciation guide and gives his readers needed information about each one.

The artwork, which is block printed in red, black and gray adds interest and additional detail about Precious' homeland. Iain McIntosh has created characters that stand out for the reader, situations filled with humor, and the always captivating African animals.

This is a fun read, and leaves me hoping that he might write another in the near future. It could prove a valuable and much-liked series.