CAPTAIN BARBOSA AND THE PIRATE HAT CHASE

When a sea gull snatches his hat, a pirate sets out to get it back.

A stern chase is a long chase, as this wordless import (from Spain) demonstrates. Enraged by the theft of his skull-and-crossbones hat, the captain charges off in a ship crewed by an elephant, a crocodile, and a mosquito. Various adventures later, from a storm to an encounter with a huge, green, one-eyed sea monster, the pursuers catch up at last—only to find the hat repurposed into a nursery. Fans of Jon Klassen’s hat dramas may be disappointed by what happens next: The captain shrugs, hugs the provident parent, and departs with a friendly wave. The white captain’s massive orange beard shines out from González’s loosely drawn and brushed nautical scenes; with that to focus on, even younger viewers should have no trouble sailing through the sequential panels. That the sea monster is entirely benign and even helpful also adds to the story’s friendliness to the younger edge of the audience range. Humor abounds, from the absurd casting choices for Barbosa’s crew to the moment when the chortling mariners add an orange pigtailed wig to the captain’s exposed, bald pate.

A droll, rather sweet addition to the flood of “I want my hat back” tales.