Sheeba and the Private Detectives Vol. 2
Region: South Asia, Pakistan
Authors: Imran Azhar, Nadya Karim-Shaw
Translator: Linda Stanek
Original Language: Urdu
Illustrator: Maha Abdul Alaam, Waseka Nahar, Tehreem Iqbal, Sana Ashfaq
Series: Vol. 1-5
Character: Sheeba, Reemi, Majid, Qulsoom, Speedy, Tufaan
Genre: Graphic novels, comic books, and manga
Descriptors: educational stories; detective stories; mystery stories
Age: 7-13 years old
Review
Sheeba and the Private Detectives is a Pakistani comic book series that was created to help combat illiteracy in Pakistan and to promote STEM education to children between the ages of 7 and 13 years old. The series focuses on four child detectives, Sheeba, Reemi, Majid, and Qulsoom, their dog Speedy, and their donkey Tufaan as they travel throughout Pakistan solving mysteries. Each issue is a new stand-alone mystery, so they do not need to be read in order. Volume 2 of Sheeba and the Private Detectives contains issues 4-6: The Case of the Stolen Books, The Case of the Mysterious Bones, and The Case of The Colourful Scarf. In The Case of the Stolen Books, the children have to track down books that have gone missing right before an important book signing event. The publisher suspects that the delivery boy has stolen them, but the detectives discover that the delivery boy’s vision problems have caused him to get lost! This issue teaches readers about the science behind how eyes work and about vision problems. The other two issues in this volume follow a similar format. The children embark on solving a mystery and use their knowledge of science, language, social studies, art, and more to solve the case. The Case of the Mysterious Bones teaches readers about skeletal anatomy. The Case of the Colorful Scarf teaches readers about the science and art of mixing colors. The characters are enthusiastic about their love of lifelong learning. They even get paid for their detective services with books! The big, bold, colorful artwork captures the emotion of the characters and transports the reader to the beautiful locations of Kashmir, Swat, and Bhawalpur. The illustrations, along with the historical facts about the setting, help immerse the reader in the story and makes them feel as if they are actually there helping the kids solve mysteries. The back of the book has a glossary for each issue that highlights the important vocabulary learned in the story. There is also a selection of activities that correspond to the mystery solved in each issue. There is a selection of colorblind tests, instructions for how to make your own skeleton with sticks, a lesson on how to fill in a color wheel, and an activity that involves deciphering a cryptic message with the provided clues. To download these activity sheets for yourself, please go to our programming section.
More About This Book
Reviewed: print book by AzCrop Entertainment (2020). ISBN: 9781710134520.
Notes: There are some small printing issues within the story, but not enough to be illegible. For example, there are several moments where the punctuation was printed mid-sentence instead of at the end of the sentence and when the dialogue leaks out of the text box.
Additional sources used: [https://www.globalinnovationexchange.org/innovation/sheeba-and-the-private-detectives-29d9dc4e-dec7-406f-954f-c2ac4521a7a5;https://www.worldlearning.org/program/name-jasoosan-sheeba-and-the-private-detectives/ ]
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sheeba-Private-Detectives-Geeks-Republic/dp/1710134526
Reviewed by Leah Byrnes