Captain Coconut & the Case of the Missing Bananas by Anushka Ravishankar (review)

Though Captain Coconut considers himself a remarkable detective, his deductive and logical abilities are not exactly Holmesian. Nevertheless, he’s the man called in for the job when Mrs. Y notices that some bananas are missing from a large bunch purchased the day before. The intrepid detective only takes a moment to determine how many bananas are missing (though the book is billed as a number mystery, the target audience will gloss over the simple math), but he requires more time to determine who the actual culprit is; ultimately an unpleasant bathroom situation is the final clue needed to solve the comic mystery. Clever Bollywood song interludes, clothing cues, and the rich, brown shades used for the characters will give the audience all they need to place this graphic novel in the book’s home country of India. The bold and unusual color choices throughout, paired with the collage panels, make this a true visual treat, and the subtle, dry humor will keep older readers amused as they pore over the sophisticated illustrations. This is the first graphic novel in what will be a series; readers will almost certainly find that Captain Coconut is worth another read when the next one comes around.