The Evidence is in: Toddlers, Like Sherlock, Have Great Investigative Powers!

Sherlock for Toddlers?  Elementary, Dear Watson!

Before breakfast this morning I was perusing the Great Cases of Sherlock Holmes (I blogged about it in my last post, here).  My daughter brought my grandson downstairs and plopped him down on the couch next to me.

I barely noticed when he picked up a book from his own little stack on the couch.  My daughter grabbed her camera and said, "Mom, look what he's reading!  His "Sherlock Holmes" book!"

We laughed while she took a few photos, but later my daughter said, "You know, his favorite stories right now do all have a mystery factor!  He loves hide-and-seek-type books.   You should blog about that..."

Facts:  toddlers are into investigating - everything!

Clues:  They've moved on from crawling to walking, and are beginning to explore with language and behavior.

Evidence:  Thrown food and torn pages scattered on the floor, next to a little smiling person, who's waving a chubby hand and saying, "hi!" 

Solution:  The books below (mostly of the cardboard variety) will appeal to your little detective's new-found investigative powers, as he tries to deduce "what happens next".

Mystery solved:  My 16-month-old grandson's favorite stories right now include humorous books that stir his senses:  Where's Ellie? (Salina Yoon's guessing game in book form, with lots of unexpected objects that look like Ellie the Elephant's trunk) , Mommy, Mommy! (Taro Gomi's hilarious little story of two chicks, who while on a quest for Mommy, encounter some interesting look-alikes), Frog, Where Are You? (enchanting wordless book about a boy, a dog, and a frog, by Mercer Mayer), Goodnight Owl, (a fun lift-the-flap book by Dwell Studio).

It's Elementary! More about the Sherlock Holmes book - by "Master Conan Doyle" - that my grandson chose this morning.  (It's more of a hear-and-discover, than a hide-and-seek book.)

"Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles"...Alison Oliver’s bold illustrations correspond with Jennifer Adams’ clever, simple text to create [Sherlock-ian] pairings little observers will love to have read to them, such as “hounds howl,” “gates screech,” and “stairs creak.” 

I hope this post has you ready to share with me about your little ones' favorite "mystery stories"...