In Roman’s (Pepper Parrot’s Problem With Patience, 2013, etc.) newest Captain No Beard adventure, the feisty captain learns that teamwork can save the day.
Life as a pirate ship captain isn’t always fun, especially when the wind dies down and the ship gets “stuck in the doldrums.” Stranded on a desert island, Captain No Beard’s crew endeavors to entertain themselves by seeing shapes in the clouds with a telescope. The colorful illustrations and animated expressions of the characters bring life to the tropical scene populated by good friends. Unfortunately, however, there’s only one telescope. Everyone on the crew wants a turn to see the marshmallows in the clouds, but Captain No Beard claims his status as captain means he gets dibs. When the rest of the crew stomps off to find other entertainment by building a sand castle, Captain No Beard finds that telescope-gazing alone isn’t much fun. Then, when the captain starts bossing the other pirates around and rebuilding their sand castle, his crew relocates to the other side of the beach so they can have some fun and be rid of the domineering captain. Calling it mutiny, Captain No Beard retreats to his dragon-headed ship, proclaiming, “Who needs them anyway? It’s my ship, and I can do everything myself.” However, when a feisty squid attacks the ship in a colorful swirl of purple and blue waves, the big boss quickly learns that he needs his crew to survive. After a moment of hesitation, his loyal team comes to the rescue despite his poor treatment of them, teaching him that it’s more important to be a good friend than a boss. Captain No Beard acknowledges the lesson, saying, “A good captain must consider everyone’s feelings, or else nobody will want to be in his crew,” to which his crew responds with hearty cheers of “Arrgh, arrgh.” His crew’s frankness in explaining how to be both a friend and boss will teach children to speak up when their friends aren’t being as considerate as they could be. Honesty and a genuine apology help heal the misunderstanding, giving way to cheerful fun and a beautiful lesson for kids.
Once again, Roman delights with whimsical pictures, clever text, important lessons and plenty of pirate lingo.Pub Date: March 20, 2013
ISBN: 978-1479182701
Page Count: 36
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION
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Sure signs that the creative wells are running dry at last, the Captain’s ninth, overstuffed outing both recycles a villain (see Book 4) and offers trendy anti-bullying wish fulfillment.
Not that there aren’t pranks and envelope-pushing quips aplenty. To start, in an alternate ending to the previous episode, Principal Krupp ends up in prison (“…a lot like being a student at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, except that the prison had better funding”). There, he witnesses fellow inmate Tippy Tinkletrousers (aka Professor Poopypants) escape in a giant Robo-Suit (later reduced to time-traveling trousers). The villain sets off after George and Harold, who are in juvie (“not much different from our old school…except that they have library books here.”). Cut to five years previous, in a prequel to the whole series. George and Harold link up in kindergarten to reduce a quartet of vicious bullies to giggling insanity with a relentless series of pranks involving shaving cream, spiders, effeminate spoof text messages and friendship bracelets. Pilkey tucks both topical jokes and bathroom humor into the cartoon art, and ups the narrative’s lexical ante with terms like “pharmaceuticals” and “theatrical flair.” Unfortunately, the bullies’ sad fates force Krupp to resign, so he’s not around to save the Earth from being destroyed later on by Talking Toilets and other invaders…
Is this the end? Well, no…the series will stagger on through at least one more scheduled sequel. (Fantasy. 10-12)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-17534-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION
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Four misunderstood villains endeavor to turn over a new leaf…or a new rap sheet in Blabey's frenzied romp.
As readers open the first page of this early chapter book, Mr. Wolf is right there to greet them, bemoaning his reputation. "Just because I've got BIG POINTY TEETH and RAZOR-SHARP CLAWS and I occasionally like to dress up like an OLD LADY, that doesn't mean… / … I'm a BAD GUY." To prove this very fact, Mr. Wolf enlists three equally slandered friends into the Good Guys Club: Mr. Snake (aka the Chicken Swallower), Mr. Piranha (aka the Butt Biter), and Mr. Shark (aka Jaws). After some convincing from Mr. Wolf, the foursome sets off determined to un-smirch their names (and reluctantly curbing their appetites). Although these predators find that not everyone is ready to be at the receiving end of their helpful efforts, they use all their Bad Guy know-how to manage a few hilarious good deeds. Blabey has hit the proverbial nail on the head, kissed it full on the mouth, and handed it a stick of Acme dynamite. With illustrations that startle in their manic comedy and deadpan direct address and with a narrative that follows four endearingly sardonic characters trying to push past (sometimes successfully) their fear-causing natures, this book instantly joins the classic ranks of Captain Underpants and The Stinky Cheese Man.
We challenge anyone to read this and keep a straight face. (Fiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-91240-2
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
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