Detective Stanley and the Green Thumbed Thief
From the luminescent cover lighting up a border of plants to the deer stalker wearing dog detective, this junior comic is colourful, charming and amusing. Detective Stanley and the Green Thumbed Thief is the sequel to Detective Stanley and the Mystery at the Museum; this time the self-effacing introverted Stanley (named after Stanley Bay in Auckland) uses his knowledge and skills to ponder on the mystery of a disappearing orchid.
The reader follows Stanley uphill through the townscape of Narlybone with its diverse architectural styles, reptilian rear window residents and its cartoon style characters to a Victorian glass house where his investigations begin. There is a contrast between the bright primary colour backdrops, the luscious greens and sky blues of the Botanical Gardens and the pastel buildings on the street with the 1970s yellowish nostalgia of Stanley’s home where he busies himself with mundane chores.
The brainchild of New Zealander Hannah Tunnicliffe and Norfolk born illustrator Erica Harrison, who first collaborated on The Great Devonport History Mystery, a family trail and history book set in their local village. With accessible spreads and speech bubbles for the early years’ visual reader, fun clues to pick up on and a canine detective inspired by Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, there is much entertainment to be had from this gentle mystery which includes a botanical case file in its end papers.
