Another strong installment in the Captain No Beard series despite quieter action and the obvious educational bend.
Captain No Beard and his loyal crew hit the high seas amid tears, change, and friendship in Roman’s (Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis, 2014) newest pirate picture book.
When their latest ocean trip commences, Captain No Beard can’t find his loyal mate Fribbet the Frog. A team search reveals he’s hiding on the ship, crying. When his shipmates ask what’s wrong, he says he’s scared. The crew then lists assorted things he could be afraid of—the dark, snakes, loud noises, etc.—and reassure him that it’s OK to be scared. The support of friends is endearing, and the illustration of Polly Parrot with her wings around Fribbet is particularly heartwarming. The discussion between Fribbet and his friends shows that for every fear a child can have, it’s likely that his or her friends share the same concern. Being brave enough to share those worries with your friends makes them less scary. When Fribbet begins to describe the appearance of eggs in his home—eggs that hatched to become tadpoles and, by now, little frogs—Captain No Beard realizes Fribbet is merely reacting to the unknown of becoming a big brother. Captain No Beard has a strong bond with his little sister, cabin girl Cayla, which he uses to help Fribbet understand that becoming a big brother isn’t all bad. In the end, a surprise twist brings closure to Fribbet’s situation, again reassuring children that the arrival of new siblings doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Roman’s gentle soothing of typical childhood fears is warm and nurturing, creating a softer feel than in some of the other Captain No Beard stories. There’s limited adventure here, since it’s more specifically targeted toward children facing the uncertainty of new siblings. Roman does, however, add some spice in a brief science lesson on the metamorphosis of tadpoles to frogs, and, as usual, her charming illustrations light up the page with their humanity, cleverness, and bright colors. Dialogue is in Roman’s typically pirate-rich lingo, clever and quick, but overall, the story feels less like a rollicking pirate book and more like a tool for child therapy featuring an important life lesson.
Another strong installment in the Captain No Beard series despite quieter action and the obvious educational bend.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-1499145977
Page Count: 32
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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