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THE INCREDIBLE SHIP OF CAPTAIN SKIP

A laudably inclusive version of a literally ripping yarn.

Nautical misadventures transform a ship in this moderately embellished version of a paper-folding tale best known as “The Captain’s Shirt.”

Following simple directions given at the beginning, readers can fold a paper boat and voyage along as Capt. Skip enlists a crew and sets sail into a succession of storms and other disasters that rip off the ship’s bow, stern, and upper mast. This leaves a wreck that Skip and her crew must abandon, hopping into lifeboats as the ship sinks with a “glub, glub, glub, glub.” During the adventure, various onlooking birds and animals issue instructions to readers to, for example, “tear off the top part of your paper ship,” so that at the end, when the damaged paper boat is pulled as the inserted diagrams show, it suddenly turns into a shirt. In bright and bouncy illustrations that appear to have been done in a mix of silkscreen and paper collage, Moreno pays close attention to diversity, as each member of the five-person crew is differently clad and colored (including blue). While one sports a beard and two (one with a wooden prosthesis) seem to present as women, the others are gender ambiguous. The brown-skinned skipper, who is likewise ambiguous as to gender presentation, is referred to with the female pronoun in Ross’ translation but is “el capitán Marco” with the same art in the original Spanish edition, which publishes simultaneously in the U.S.

A laudably inclusive version of a literally ripping yarn. (Picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: May 18, 2021

ISBN: 978-84-18133-16-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: NubeOcho

Review Posted Online: May 4, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021

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KONDO & KEZUMI VISIT GIANT ISLAND

From the Kondo & Kezumi series , Vol. 1

A story of friendship that is both lively and lovely

Two friends embark upon a high-seas adventure.

Kondo, a large lemon-colored creature with wide round eyes, spends his day on his island home with his best friend, tangerine-hued Kezumi. Together, they frolic on their idyllic isle picking berries (tall Kondo nabs the higher fruit while Kezumi helps to retrieve the lower) while surrounded by tiny “flitter-birds” and round “fluffle-bunnies.” One day, Kezumi finds a map in a bottle that declares “WE ARE NOT ALONE.” Inspired by visions of a larger world, Kondo and Kezumi fashion a boat from a bathtub and set sail. The pair visits fantastical islands—deliciously cheese-laden Dairy Isle, the fiery and fearsome Fireskull Island—until they eventually settle upon the titular Giant Island, where they meet Albert, a gigantic gray talking mountain who is—obviously—unable to leave. Enthralled by his new friends, Albert wants them to stay forever. After Albert makes a fraught decision, Kondo and Kezumi find themselves at a crossroads and must confront their new friend. Goodner and Tsurumi’s brightly illustrated chapter book should find favor with fans of Kate DiCamillo and Chris Van Dusen’s similarly designed Mercy Watson series. Short, wry, descriptive sentences make for an equally enjoyable experience whether read aloud or independently. Episodic chapters move the action along jauntily; the conclusion is somewhat abrupt, but it promises more exploration and adventures for the best friends. (This review was originally published in the June 1, 2019, issue. The book data has been updated to reflect changes in publisher and date of publication.)

A story of friendship that is both lively and lovely (Fantasy. 6-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 27, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-368-02577-5

Page Count: 80

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020

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THE ADVENTURES OF HENRY WHISKERS

From the Adventures of Henry Whiskers series , Vol. 1

Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1965) upgrades to The Mice and the Rolls-Royce.

In Windsor Castle there sits a “dollhouse like no other,” replete with working plumbing, electricity, and even a full library of real, tiny books. Called Queen Mary’s Dollhouse, it also plays host to the Whiskers family, a clan of mice that has maintained the house for generations. Henry Whiskers and his cousin Jeremy get up to the usual high jinks young mice get up to, but when Henry’s little sister Isabel goes missing at the same time that the humans decide to clean the house up, the usually bookish big brother goes on the adventure of his life. Now Henry is driving cars, avoiding cats, escaping rats, and all before the upcoming mouse Masquerade. Like an extended version of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice (1904), Priebe keeps this short chapter book constantly moving, with Duncan’s peppy art a cute capper. Oddly, the dollhouse itself plays only the smallest of roles in this story, and no factual information on the real Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is included at the tale’s end (an opportunity lost).

Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales. (Fantasy. 6-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-4814-6575-5

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Aladdin

Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016

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