The Pet Rock Mystery (Squirrel Lock Holmes and Watson book 1) by Ashley Belote (Random House Graphics, 80 pages, grades 1-4). Reggie the Rabbit has lost his beloved pet rock Dwayne, so he enlists the help of Squirrel Lock Holmes and his bumbling owl assistant Watson. Over the course of five chapters, the detectives ask questions, gather clues, interrogate suspects, and finally solve the mystery. Includes illustrated steps for solving a mystery, instructions on how to draw Holmes and Watson, a search and find spread with five objects to locate, and a preview of book 2 which is due out in September.

This is a fun mystery for beginning readers with lots of silly humor and goofy illustrations. I could have lived without the definitions of words like sedimentary and geologist inserted somewhat jarringly into the otherwise humorous story, but it’s a good introduction to the Dog Man/InvestiGators genre who aren’t quite ready for 200 pages.

Korobá: The Case of the Missing Kolo by Àlàbá Ònájìn (Holiday House, 144 pages, grades 2-5). Korobá uses a prologue to introduce readers to his family and two best friends, as well as their fishing village of Makoko in Nigeria. He also explains the upcoming Makoko Harvest Festival, when kids break open their Kolo boxes, where they’ve saved money all year, so that they can buy new clothes, shoes, and treats at the festival. Then the story begins, and soon Korobá has a mystery on his hands: his friend Saidat’s Kolo box has gone missing, and she’s pretty sure it’s been stolen. Korobá, Saidat, and their third friend Joba team up to do some sleuthing around Makoko. After eliminating some suspects, Korobá puts together all the clues and unmasks the thief on the morning of the festival. The kids are sympathetic when they learn why the theft occurred and work together to make sure everyone has enough to spend at the market. Includes an author’s note about how his childhood passion for detectives like Nancy Drew, The Famous Five, and Tintin influenced the creation of this story, as well as a glossary of some of the Nigerian terms.

Readers will get a window into a Nigerian village in this endearing graphic novel featuring a lively team of kid detectives. Korobá uses some very impressive deductive skills to solve the mystery in an ending I didn’t see coming, and his two assistants have their own engaging personalities. I’m hoping this will be the first in a series. It’s a longer book than Squirrel Lock Holmes, but still suitable for primary grade readers.