It has happened again! WHO’S the CAPTAIN? has been reviewed by GOOD OLD BOAT’S Newsletter Reviewer, Carolyn Corbett. I am so thrilled with how she caught the complete essence of this humorous picture book targeted for boating families, that I just had to share it with you!
GOOD OLD BOAT -August 2017 Newsletter
WHO’S THE CAPTAIN?
BY MARY LAUDIEN, ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVE ALAVOINE (CREATESPACE, 2016; 56 PAGES, PRINT $13.99 USD/$14.99 CDN; EBOOK $7.99)
REVIEW BY CAROLYN CORBETT (LAKE SHORE, MN)
Who’s the Captain? is a 56 page picture book of sailing life according to Dad and his crew. The humor in the text is accentuated by clever, colorful cartoons. Older kids who are familiar with the ins and outs of sailing will appreciate the humor and little ones will love the cartoon characters.
Dad (who thinks he’s captain) has his hands full trying to keep his rambunctious crew shipshape. The clan includes the mom (My Boat, My Rules), two brothers (Captain Awesome and Yo Ho Ho) and little Lucy (Captain Adorable). The family is rounded out by Lucy’s stuffed dolphin, Dolfie, my favorite character.
Dolfie is a stitch. So is Lucy. When Lucy spots real dolphins splashing in the bow wake: “Look Dolfie! Cousins!” Lucy uses the VHF to issue a May Day call that her brothers are stinky meanies. She pops up with a GPS when Dad (who thinks he’s captain) is bogged down with navigational charts. Lucy also points out that Dolfie never gets seasick and that he likes seacocks for lunch.
There is another creature aboard, an unnamed bird who shows up frequently. The bird pipes in with comments about the leaky dinghy: “I wouldn’t lay an egg in this tub!” and “Whew!” when he gets a whiff of Dad’s feet. Little ones will have fun searching for the bird in each cartoon.
Nautical terms are highlighted in yellow throughout the book to guide readers to the glossary in the back of the book. The author’s humor carries over into the glossary where she makes it clear that a boom is not a loud noise and a buoy is not a male human.
All in all, this is an appealing book that helps me to remember the five years I spent sailing around the Bahamas and all the cruising kids I met. They would have loved this book! Hopefully the young readers of Who’s the Captain? will be out there sailing themselves one day!
As a writer, one puts themselves OUT THERE! To read reviews written by professional reviewers, encourages and reinforces one’s belief that this collaborative project is the perfect book for all members of the boating community.
If you have not yet purchased WHO’S the CAPTAIN? for your captains or captain wannabes…. please just click on the appropriate Amazon link or Red Tuque Books on the blog roll on the right. This book makes a great gift or prize for sailing classes, regattas, and sailing families. As the Pacific Yachting reviewer, Cherie Thiessen wrote, “There’s something to resonate here for every sailor-or sailor wannabe, I’m betting.” And come on sailors, you know you want to take Dave Alavoine’s CHALLENGE and decipher this British Merchant Mariner’s nautical command (found on the Author/Cartoonist page). When you have it, send in the translation to me by writing it in the COMMENT section below. Those received over the next 10 days will enter in a draw for a free book. (DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, SO I CAN CONTACT YOU FOR YOUR MAILING ADDRESS.)
Thanks for visiting FUN HAPPENS! I’d love to read your comments about WHO’S the CAPTAIN? Both Dave Alavoine and I appreciate the feedback!
(This is Dave Alavoine’s charicature of me… Mary Laudien!)
