A tiny, powerful investigative team of body cells uncover the mystery of a young girl's gastrointestinal illness in Tummy Trouble, the first title in Ben Elcomb and Terri Po's delightfully engrossing nonfiction picture book series Diagnosis Detectives.
When healthy Sophia least expects it, evil Queen Tox ("Antigen team: Flu virus") attacks, leaving Sophia curled up on the couch in distress. The detective cells--including immune system members neutrophil, T-cell, B-cell, and monocyte--are assembled in the Gastric Bay district (Sophia's stomach lining) "training their minds and muscles" when they are "distracted by a thunder-like rumbling." After a thorough investigation, they find the "culprit" back where they started in the Gastric Bay: Nori V, aka norovirus. The quartet captures Nori in an oversized net while Sophia recovers in bed.
The plot and formatting follow a consistent pattern: first a symptom is introduced; then a close-up perspective is revealed of the detective cells at work; finally a "suspect" profile appears alongside a headshot of the accused foreign body. Po's detailed illustrations include both factual diagrams and playful art in tandem with Elcomb's informative and clever text. In one instance, Po's cross-sections of the skin emphasize the description of what happens when we spike a fever. The colorful troupe of detectives travels to "Skindanavia" and tromps across Sophia's blood vessels alongside a recurring "YOU ARE HERE" map of the body.
The book's winning treatment of clear, accurate data and a lighthearted whodunit plot provide plenty of opportunity for discovery and DIY activities offer a fun way to engage with the material, like using glitter to model the transference of food particles. --Kieran Slattery, freelance reviewer, teacher, co-creator of Gender Inclusive Classrooms