CAPTAIN DANGER AND THE STUPID SHADOW
From the Adventures of Captain Danger series
by Victor Engbers ; illustrated by Victor Engbers ; translated by David Colmer
Chasing down his errant shadow plunges Captain Danger and faithful canine sidekick Django into one pickle after another.
“I hope you’re not a scaredy-cat,” warns the gruff, light-skinned narrator of this Dutch import, who in the unsophisticated cartoon art unavoidably recalls Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants because he’s wearing only socks and underwear. “I never get scared.” Even when his attempt to catch up to his shadow after it flies off to Cut-It-Out Island takes him straight into the tentacles of a giant octopus, the belly of a jellyfish, a “yucky volcano,” and the talons of a giant two-headed bird, he doesn’t seem fazed. “What a hassle!” he complains. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that all the danger is strictly transitory; the merfolk, ghosts, big bugs, and a baby dragon he encounters along the way turn out to be friendly, even playful, and generally willing to help out. Indeed, the whole adventure culminates in the entire cast gathering for a literally footloose dance party atop a huge, oily fish. It’s all good, silly fun, even if the Captain’s free use of the ableist word stupid to describe his shadow and several others may perturb some adult readers.
Adventures in whimsy, humor, and heart, starring a most memorable hero.
(Picture book. 6-8)