Welcome to day 34 of 40 craft lessons.
Reading mysteries not only entertains us but also trains our deductive reasoning. At a young age, this is especially useful. But the challenge is finding a mystery that isn’t too difficult for a young reader and fits within a 32- or 40-page picture book.
Before, whenever I thought about mystery, Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot would jump into my mind. So, I imagined that if mystery picture books existed, they would all have a detective searching for a murderer.
Well, research proved my guess wrong. Mystery picture books do exist—with kid-friendly mysteries—and the detectives don’t have to be Holmes or Poirot.
The detective of 7 Ate 9 (2017, Tara Lazar, Ross MacDonald) is Private I—yes, the letter I. The number 6 is Private I’s new client. Number 6 believes that number 7 ate number 9 and that now 7 is after number 6. The story is humorous, but humor doesn’t overshadow the mystery. Each page gives just enough clues to keep young readers guessing, while the funny characters and wordplay keep the story lighthearted. Even though it’s funny, the tension of “Who ate 9?” drives the narrative forward.
Mystery picture books like 7 Ate 9 show that you don’t need a classic detective or a dark crime to create a compelling mystery. Even in a short, humorous story for kids, the thrill of solving a puzzle can spark curiosity and sharpen deductive thinking. As long as the core question is “Who did it?” a mystery is created.
Hope reading this blog post has given you new ideas. See you tomorrow for Day 35.
