Stuck in the Doldrums

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.