Two delightful children’s books have just landed on my desk for review. Both feature Sherlock Holmes, but as you may not have seen him before. In animal form, in fact!
Sherlock Cat and the Thwarted Thespian by Heather Edwards, with charming black and white illustrations by Amanda Downs, is aimed at the seven to twelve age group.
It’s a lively yarn – the second in a series which started with Sherlock Cat and the Missing Mousie – in which Spot (aka Sherlock), a Siamese, and his narrator side-kick, the plump and fluffy Kitty (Watson), investigate a series of mysterious happenings at a local theatre, which coincidentally is producing a play about the ‘real’ Sherlock Holmes.
Written with humour and featuring well-drawn characters, both human and animal, it is guaranteed to divert both you and your children.
If I have a criticism, it is the title, which might fox the average young reader, though ‘thwarted thespian’ is fun to say, and is explained by Sherlock towards the end of the story.
Sherlock Holmes and the Farmyard Caper, written and illustrated by Danielle Calloway, is a colouring book featuring Harlee and her stuffed bear, Patches.
Harlee, based on the author’s own rescue dog, Harley Davidson, likes to pretend to be Sherlock Holmes, with Patches as a silent Watson. They live on a farm, and in this story set out to track down who has been stealing the barnyard animals’ toys… without leaving any footprints.
Danielle says that she was persuaded by young friends to create colouring books so that children could both enjoy reading and learn to be artists. This fits the bill: the story is engaging and the numerous illustrations are inventive and wacky.
Sherlock Cat and The Thwarted Thespian by Heather Edwards, MX publishing https://mxpublishing.com/products/sherlock-cat-and-the-thwarted-thespian
Sherlock Holmes and the Barnyard Caper by Danielle Calloway https://mxpublishing.com/products/sherlock-holmes-and-the-barnyard-caper
Susan Knight 