If you haven't seen them (as I hadn't), you might want to take a look at the Chet Gecko mystery series by Bruce Hale. Here's a review of one book in the series:
School Library Journal
Gr 3-6-Children will likely appreciate Hale's relentless punning in this anthropomorphized detective series featuring a Raymond Chandler/Woody Allen literary blend in a fourth-grader/gecko guise. Here, it seems that someone is stealing food from the school cafeteria and Chet Gecko is hot on the trail of the thief. Mrs. Bagoong, an iguana with cheeks "soft as AstroTurf," who serves mothloaf and cockroach quiche, will be put out of business if the culprit isn't caught. Natalie Attired is Chet's mockingbird assistant, and Erik Nidd plays the role of a tough sixth-grade tarantula. Metaphors and similes work overtime in this detective/lizard world and, while geared toward an eager juvenile audience, Farewell will leave adults aching from laughter at the jokes kids will miss and from groans for the gross ones youngsters will love. This latest "Chet Gecko" tale is not only fodder for budding criminologists and stand-up comedians but may also provide inspiration for future zoologists. Hale's drawings are serviceable but they don't give much visual punch to the sassy prose.-John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.