Detective Paws - An Interactive Who-Done-It Mystery
Written and Illustrated by
John O'Leary
Published by Tango Books
Our Second Book of the Week really shows how books can compete with all-bells-and-whistles apps on tablets and smartphones by providing a truly interactive experience that doesn't involve charging your device, doesn't involve temper-tantrums at bedtime when it's time to switch that device off, and has an utterly awesome story and set of puzzles to dig into.
Meet Detective Dick Paws and his latest case, the mysterious disappearance of The Golden Cat. Paws needs a bit of help with this tricky case so it's over to you, dear reader, to piece together some fiendish clues and observations to catch the culprit.
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| A busy scene from "Detective Paws" - Solve the clues with keen observation! |
With an ingenious mix of detective mysteries, pop-up-book paper mechanics, fold out panels and lift-the-flap surprises, this book absolutely had it all bang on for Charlotte who loves this sort of thing and though some of the puzzles weren't too taxing, it seemed to be perfect for the 6-8 year old age group, possibly even younger with a bit of help from mum and dad.
Dick Paws is a great character, and though we can well imagine the amount of effort involved in producing such a fantastic and involving book as this, it'd be awesome to see it become a series.
There are so many neat touches (like having a notebook that folds out at the back of the book to help you through each clue and scene) but we don't want to spoil too much for you. This is one of the most original books we've seen in a long time, and it's well worth getting your magnifying glass out, your raincoat, and your trilby - and sniffing out this brilliant book.
Visit John's website at http://www.oleary-irsara.com/john.htm
Charlotte's best bit: She loved playing with the "identikit" bits (swapping faces to try and figure out who the culprit was) and also the brilliant map and notebook bits
Daddy's Favourite bit: What a fantastic and high quality book from John and Tango. Definitely worth getting hold of!
(Kindly sent to us for review by John O'Leary and Tango Books)