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Recently released, The Sheep Detectives is a cosy crime film for children about a flock of sheep who set out to discover the murderer of their shepherd. Fair enough. I’ve seen the trailer and probably won’t see the the movie.
But there’s another option. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann is the German bestselling novel for adults which the film is based on. I enjoyed it. It’s set in Ireland, unlike the film which portrays a southern English/American mishmash. The novel is cosy crime but more eccentric than Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, more philosophical and perhaps funnier (I thought so). It’s also darker than TTMC. Apparently the film has dark moments and some messages which children may find challenging*.
Highly anthropomorphised sheep might not be your cup of tea; I hadn’t thought it was mine. But for anyone who fancies a go they’re available in an un-Disneyfied form.
* Radio 4 review here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002vyl0
I’m not a huge fan of cosy crime, and I think that the television series of TTMC is rather better than the books, although only because the acting is good. However, there are many variations within that genre and I wouldn’t dismiss everything. The same goes for anthropomorphised animal stories. For instance, Charlotte’s Web and Animal Farm spring to mind as two of the best where it hardly matters that the protagonists aren’t human.
I’m off to listen to that review.
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