THE MYSTERY OF THE SNOW (THE ENERGY DETECTIVES) by Paul Meisel & Madelyn Rosenberg is a unique lesson in climate change, climate solutions, and what it takes to become the best detective in the neighborhood. The post Book Review:...
The Mystery of the Snow
by Paul Meisel & Madelyn Rosenberg
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
ISBN: 9781805000501
Print Length: 17 pages
Reviewed by Jaylynn Korrell
A unique lesson in climate change, climate solutions, and what it takes to become the best detective in the neighborhood
When two mystery-loving kid-detectives notice a big difference between their houses, they put their new knowledge on climate and energy-saving they’re learning in class to the test. Luckily, both Annabeth and Charlie consider themselves to be the best detectives on their street.
This book is as entertaining as it is informative for young readers, and it’s an important discussion to have—to give our younger generations the urgency to save the planet. Not only is it a good conversation to have, it’s fun to see who will solve the mystery first and what the answer to the mystery really is. With one roof covered with snow and the other totally absent of it, it’s easy for a curious mind to get excited and predictive.
In addition to the mystery going on at home, Annabeth and Charlie are being challenged with climate change questions in school. The classroom’s energy saving discussions bring a fun dynamic to the story and a separate activity to take part in, recognizing where the kids are wasting energy in their homes. It gets the main characters’ brains thinking in the right direction.
Each page is jam-packed with fun illustrations by Paul Meisel that will intrigue young readers to look closer at every image, just in case it points them in the direction of solving the mystery. Energy plays a key role in solving it.
Pages are full of happy characters and a variety of clue-like images that help to educate them as well. I loved spotting the class guinea pig, Detective Pickles, on each page and reading his little energy-saving tidbits. I also enjoyed the shear amount of images that you have to inspect while reading. There are a lot, but it feels like a challenge to notice each thing on the page. This book also asks readers to find all of the examples of energy waste in each page, which will keep them occupied for longer than just reading the book on its own would.
This brings me to my only gripe with this book: It’s a little short. While it can definitely pack a lot of information in less than 20 pages, it also has to share space with what is happening at school and solving the mystery of the snowy roofs. The target reading age seems like they could handle the extra pages and information regarding why the roofs are having different reactions to the snow.
Still, The Mystery of the Snow is a great way to introduce children to energy waste and climate solutions. It gives them concrete examples of how energy is wasted in everyday life, how to recognize it, and how to correct it. The main characters are fun to follow, and the climate mystery & relevance to their own homes is a cool way to keep them thinking.
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