Mystery picture book recommendations are by Angela Ferraris, The Retired School Librarian.
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The content below contains Amazon affiliate links. When you buy through these links, Mrs. Ferraris may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. These titles may be found on my Amazon Storefront under Mystery Picture Books–https://www.amazon.com/shop/mrs.ferraris/list/RO2SFMSSTGI4?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_d .)
❗This cumulative list grows over time, with the newest books always appearing at the top.❗
The Pumpkin Thief
by Alice Hemming (Author), Nicola Slater (Illustrator)
Summary: Squirrel and Bird plant pumpkin seeds causing five to grow. Squirrel claims the largest one and is doing some gardening when he notices that they are slowly disappearing. He follows the clues and tries to figure out the mystery.
Comments: This is a humorous mystery that has several mystery elements: clues, predictions, and inference.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).
The Case of Old MacDonald and His Farm
by Mark Teague (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: Farmer MacDonald calls Officer Busby to the farm to show her the strange things that have been happening. Officer Busby investigates the clues and identifies the culprits.
Comments: This would make a funny read-aloud for teaching the basic elements of a mystery–the problems, suspects, clues, investigation, and solution. There are also elements of wordplay and parody.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).
Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?: A Hard-boiled Mystery
by Brianna Caplan Sayres (Author), Mark Fearing (Illustrator)
Summary: Inspector H. Poulet has three hens enter her office wondering why The Chicken crossed the road. The inspector follows the clues and goes to various locations on the farm until the mystery is solved.
Comments: This fun mystery picture book is full of wordplay and puns as well as mystery elements such as prediction, evaluating clues, inference, and more.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).
The Mystery of the Blue Train (Mini Mysteries)
by Marci Kay Monson (Author), Greg Paprocki (Illustrator)
Summary: This kid-friendly version of the original Agatha Christie novel featuring Hercule Poirot takes place on a train traveling to the French Riviera when someone is found dead and a ruby is stolen.
Comments: This picture book is in rhyme with an introduction of Hercule Poirot and his white cat, Pierre, who appears in each two-page spread. The illustrations are brightly colored with loads of details.
There are clues and puzzles for readers to solve that help them examine suspects, motives, and evidence which encourage logic, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. There are also French vocabulary words with a glossary in the back.
This is the second of the mini-series. I also recommend the other two especially for grades 3-5– “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” and “The Secret of the Old Clock: A Nancy Drew Detective Story.”
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).
Luna and the Case of the Missing Mooncakes (Storytelling Math)
by Natasha Yim (Author), Violet Kim (Illustrator)
Summary: It’s a Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. Luna’s cousin, Mina brings over a box of mooncakes shaped like the animals of the lunar calendar, enough for everyone at the party. Auntie Wei tells them to wait until after dinner to eat their mooncake. During the celebration, the two girls notice that mooncakes are disappearing one at a time.
Comments: Students can practice making observations of the evidence in the illustrations, eliminating suspects, and deciding who they think is the culprit.
The backmatter includes information about the festival and math.
Rating: 4/5 📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).
Clovis Suspects a Sneak
by Katelyn Aronson (Author)
Brief summary: Clovis is enjoying decorating his shop when he notices little things are disappearing. He becomes suspicious of his customers and friends, including his cat, straining his relationships. Clovis decides to set a trap to catch the culprit. Can he find the thief and repair his friendships?
Comments: This is a wonderful story for teaching the difference between suspicion and evidence. Students can identify clues and make predictions about who is the thief.
Rating: 4.5/5 📗📗📗📗1/2
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).
Kid Noir: Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey
by Eddie Muller (Author), Jessica Schmidt (Author), Forrest Burdett (Illustrator)
Summary: Kitty Feral, a cat detective, searches for the missing Marshmallow Monkey candy and her missing partner, Mitch the Mutt in this film-noir-inspired mystery.
Comments: This kid-friendly story uses dark moody shadows and a narrative style that is like the classic noir films. It teaches setting, mood, clues, suspects, and solution. The illustrations complement and create the mood and tone of the story. This is an introduction to the detective and film-noir genres.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).
Mr. S: A First Day of School Book
by Monica Arnaldo (Author, Illustrator)
Summary: The kindergartners of 2B arrive on the first day of school to find a missing teacher. Their first clue is that the desk has a ruler, a steaming cup of coffee, and a giant sandwich. They notice “Mr. S” has been written on the chalkboard. They wonder if their teacher could be Mr. Sandwich. They immediately create an alphabet of different sandwiches. They continue their day doing school-related activities without the supervision of an adult. Suddenly, the door opens, and a man hurries inside the classroom. Is this their teacher?
Comments: This was one of my favorite back-to-school books. Great mystery. A subplot is also going on in the window frame throughout the story. Clever. Well done. I can’t wait to read more imaginative stories like this from Monica Arnaldo.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).
Ramon Fellini the Dog Detective
by Guilherme Karsten (Author)
Summary: The mystery begins with the fish bowl on the floor and a boy quickly putting his pet goldfish into a plastic baggie of water. There is a knock on the door. The boy opens the door to find Ramon Fellini, the dog detective, ready to offer his services to help figure out how the fishbowl fell. The boy is quite impressed with the dog detective’s cat disguise. He looks just like a cat. Will they be able to figure out who is the culprit?
Comments: This is an outstanding whodunnit picture book that children will love. The humor engages them as they take on the role of a detective trying to solve the mystery of what happened to the fish. They will know that something isn’t quite right with the devious detective.
This hilarious mystery picture book is a Brazilian translation, initially published in 2021 and translated to English in 2025. The illustrations were created digitally.
Not only is this a fun read-aloud, but it could also teach clues in the text and illustrations as well as predictability of what will happen next.
Rating: 5/5 📗📗📗📗📗
Details and buying options are on this book’s Amazon page (paid link).
The selected children’s books are chosen by a highly qualified retired elementary school librarian, who passionately reads and recommends picture books to teachers, school librarians, parents, grandparents, and other book enthusiasts.
Most of the books Mrs. Ferraris recommends are checked out from the public library. The only exception is for the complimentary copies that she receives for an honest review, which are duly noted.