Everyone loves a good mystery – even our 3 to 6-year-olds! The trick is to find an interesting book suitable for this age group! Children are sure to giggle while listening to the story of a detective dog, or Dino detective, or probably enjoy some spooky (not too scary) stories.
These below mystery books for preschoolers and kindergarteners are family-friendly and perfect for a read-aloud. Just get into the character, put on your detective hat and go on solving the mystery!
Mystery Books for Kindergarteners & Preschoolers

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Sophie Johnson, Unicorn Expert, Is a Detective Genius
Someone has stolen Lion’s tail. Now it is up to Sophie Johnson, Unicorn expert, and Detective Genius- to solve the mystery. She also has her assistant puppy, Bella, who is not a very keen helper. A humorous mystery book about a confident young girl detective.
Read for: 4 to 8 years | Humorous adventures
Detective Dinosaur Undercover
How does a Detective Dinosaur go undercover for solving mysteries? Find out in this irresistible comic, and goofy book. The book contains three new silly stories about the Dinosaur detective. The beautiful illustrations add to the silliness of the story. This simple goofy detective story is perfect for kindergarten and preschooler’s bedtime reading.
Read for: 4 to 8 years | Goofy mystery
Mira, Royal Detective Undercover Princess
This book is part of one of the best detective series – Mira, Royal Detective. Mira, the female detective in the story, is assigned the task of saving- the Gems of Jalpur at a royal ball. For this, she needs to go undercover and disguise herself as a princess. Would Mira be able to complete her tasks at this fancy party? A fun, simple storyline for preschoolers and kindergartners. The exciting stickers that come with the book are enough to keep children engaged.
Read for: 3 to 5 years | Girl Detective
Alphabet Mystery
A perfect book for your preschoolers to learn the upper and lower case letters. Little x has left, upset that he is hardly ever used. Other letters set out to find him. Join in the mysterious journey of the letters as they fight mysterious master M. An adorable story about alphabet misadventures.
Read for: 3 to 6 years | Learn alphabets through mystery
THE DETECTIVE DOG
This is the story about a detective dog, Nell – who uses her powerful sense of smell to solve mysteries. Read on to know how Nell and her master Peter solve the mystery of missing books. The pictures are playful – perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners. The rhyming story makes this mystery book a perfect bedtime read.
Read for: 2 to 6 years | Rhyming detective dog story
Help Find Frank
A book about finding a missing dog, along with maps, directions, and a compass. Frank has been fed cheese, and now he is lost. Readers are given plenty of clues to find Frank. Detective style evidence exhibits, maps, detailed seek and find pages makes the story engaging enough for young readers. Kindergarteners will love to participate in finding Frank. A perfect family read-aloud time book.
Read for: 3 to 7 years | Seek and find book with maps, direction
Dirk Bones and the Mystery of the Missing Books
In the town of ghostly, the books written by famous author Edgar Bleek are disappearing. Would reporter Dirk Bones be able to solve the case? The only clue is a weird spotted leaf. Along the way – the reporter meets the librarian who looks like a witch, Darlene- a creature from the lagoon. The characters are spooky enough for any kindergartener without being scary. The book is a perfect combination of spooky and mystery.
Read for: 4 to 8 years | Spooky detective story
Pansy in Paris: A Mystery at the Museum
Someone is stealing paintings from the museum in Paris, France. Would Avery and Pansy the poodle be able to solve the mystery? Following the clues and trails, they finally discover the stolen paintings, including the thief. The artistic pictures complement the story well. Preschoolers and Kindergarteners can read the book to understand the value of good, detailed work and, the value of friendship.
Read for: 3 to 7 years | Museum mystery
Secret Agent Splat!
This mystery book is from the popular Splat the Cat book series. His father’s duck decoys go missing and returned mysteriously – without the beaks. Who could be causing all the troubles? Splat rises to the challenge of solving the mystery in this humorous cat-and-mouse story. A perfect read-aloud book for kids starting with preschoolers, full of fun creative writing and fun drawings.
Read for: 4 to 8 years | Secret agent book
Madeline and the Old House in Paris
This book is part of the popular mystery book series Madeline. In this story, read on to know how Madeline and her pal, Pepito, help find and return the telescope of a ghost, waiting to see a comet. It all ends happily with the three news friends viewing the comets. The ghost characters are perfect to introduce goosebumps without being too scary. A story that preschoolers and kindergarteners will enjoy.
Read for: 3 to 7 years | Girl detective, Spooky mystery
How to read aloud mystery books for kindergarteners and preschoolers?
Here are some tips on starting your young ones with mystery books –
- Start with animal mysteries, always a sure hit with 3 to 6-year-olds
- Once in a while, take a pause, ask for what your child thinks – e.g.- where do you think Frank went?
- Have a family read-aloud and involve all in finding missing clues
- Set the environment, dim the lights, etc.
- Carry mystery books for your trips – to make them even more exciting
Looking for more? Check out other books for preschoolers and kindergarteners here.