Dedicated Review
By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: April 11, 2012
Paperback: 36 pages
Age Range: 3-7
Publisher: CreateSpace (March 20, 2013)
What to expect: Pirates, Imagination, Friendship, Cooperation
Avast! For the third time, Captain No Beard is back again with a beauty of a story. He and his trusty crew are “Stuck in the Doldrums” in every sense and are ready to enhance their set of social skills.
With no wind to blow the sails, Captain No Beard and crew are stranded on a desert island, therefore providing plenty of time for author Carole P. Roman to breeze right in with a lesson on cooperation. Searching for marshmallow shaped clouds and building sandcastles prove to be the preferred island activities for young pirates; that is until Captain No Beard takes his “Captain” title too seriously and starts being a little on the bossy side. First Mate Hallie, Linus the Lion, Fribbet the Frog, Mongo the Monkey and Polly the Parrot decide to play separately from the captain, whom declares: “It’s a mutiny.” The captain climbs aboard his ship only to discover that he really needs his crew to help sail his ship and fight off a giant squid—being solo is not ideal. The even keeled First Mate Hallie rallies the disgruntled crew and helps bring home Roman’s message of friendship, teamwork and equalitarianism. Roman clearly has a good understanding of how children tick and knows that the way to their hearts and minds is made easier through engaging their imaginations. She does this not only through the artistry of her writing, but by creating characters that are resourceful and inspiring themselves. She also nicely balances the characters’ child centric ways by giving them a little bit of grownup wisdom; such as, knowing when a mistake has been made and an apology is in order. The cheery watercolor illustrations provide plenty of visual support to this “above board” tale.
Arrr! This is indeed a fun book for adventure seeking scallywags and a gentle way to nudge young bossy pants in the right direction through some quality post-book conversation.
For more information, visit: http://caroleproman.com
Add this book to your collection: Stuck in the Doldrums: A Lesson in Sharing
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