Sherlock Bones and the art and science alliance by Renee Treml

This is the 3rd Sherlock Bones book, following Sherlock Bones and the Natural History Mystery and Sherlock Bones and the Sea-Creature Feature. This book can stand alone if desired, but reading the first two books beforehand provides a bit of background and introduces the characters.  

In this book our museum-dwelling mystery-solving trio are back: tawny frogmouth skeleton Sherlock Bones himself, along with his sidekicks, Grace (a live raccoon) and Watts (a stuffed parrot).  

The new Art and Science Alliance exhibit in the museum is amazing – it showcases weird and fascinating artworks, animals and plants (some real and some fictional). Best of all the exhibit has brought with it a mystery. Stories tell of a ghost in the Hydra painting that comes alive at night. There are definitely hissing and clicking sounds, and then there are the red eyes … 

This story is full of very silly word play that children will love. The graphic novel format keeps the pages turning as readers find the clues and try to solve the mystery alongside our trio. While younger readers will enjoy the story and the fabulous black and white illustrations, older readers will pore over extra details in display signage in the backgrounds – learning some Greek mythology, art facts, and animal information as they go.  

Renee Treml has a background in environmental science which makes her writing and illustrations informative as well as an engaging. At the back of this book is a double page spread showcasing three of the museum displays: micro-beasts; factual vs fictional creatures; and weird, wonderful and real wildlife.