Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates by Kevin O’Malley and Patrick O’Brien illustrated by Patrick O’Brien

Text copyright © 2007 by Kevin O’Malley and Patrick O’Brien

Illustrations copyright ©2007 by Patrick O’Brien

In the misty skies above the planet Jurassica, a dark and sinister shape is seen moving among the clouds. Suddenly ….BOOM! A canon roars overhead. Amid the fire and smoke the pirate ship Blackrot descends to the ground. The hatch flies open, and a mob of misshapen mutants and reptilian cyborgs flow like a river out of the ship, screaming and shouting and waving their laser swords.

The mutants from the ship Blackrot raid the imperial palace stealing Jurassica’s Jewels.  They then flee to outerspace.  The helpless President of Jurassica calls for Captain Raptor to come to their aid. Captain Raptor is the “hero of a thousand space missions; champion of truth, justice and dinosaurs in space throughout the galaxy.”  His ship is the Megatooth and his fearless crew is comprised of three other dinosaurs.

The Megatooth blasts off in pursuit. They find the pirate ship adrift in space without power, appearing defenseless; however, it is a trap.  When the Megatooth approaches, the Blackrot fires on it. The Megatooth is struck and barely averts a crash landing on what appears to be an uninhabited barren moon. The crew is unharmed but the same cannot be said for the Megatooth. A critical component is broken and the master engineer is unable to repair it; the crew is marooned.

Captain Raptor discovers a suspicious acting creature named Bart Scalawag spying on them.  Scalawag explains that his ship was hijacked by pirates and they marooned him there too. In exchange for Captain Raptor taking him aboard, Scalawag, who is handy, will repair the Megatooth.

Once Scalawag has the Megatooth functioning, they begin their return to Jurassica. While en route, they encounter Robokron, “the giant robotic space beast.”  It must be defeated first.

The Megatooth finally arrives at Jurassica where it does battle with the Blackrot which has returned for more pillaging. While Captain Raptor and his crew focus on the fight at hand, Scalawag steals the Megatooth’s shuttle craft and flees to the Blackrot. It turns out the sneaky Scalawag was formerly Captain of the Blackrot. Now that he is back at the helm, he seeks to destroy the Megatooth.  The discerning Captain Raptor, however, was always distrustful of Scalawag. Before the battle, Captain Raptor placed a bomb in the shuttle craft. Scalawag has now, unwittingly, carried it back to his pirate ship.  The bomb is detonated, and the Blackrot crashes.  All the pirates, including Scalawag, are captured and sent to prison. Once again, Captain Raptor saves the day!

If your kids love Star Wars, Star Trek and dinosaurs, they will flip over these books as my boys have for the last year. As the spouse of a Trekkie and therefore a Trekkie by association, it seems that Captain Raptor’s voice should resemble the voice of Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise. When I read the books to the boys, I imitate him and they think it is pretty cool. Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates is the second book in the series, Captain Raptor and the Moon Mystery being first. We own both and will eagerly purchase the third title, which the authors informed me, they are currently working on.

Because my two oldest children are boys, I spend a lot of time searching for “boy books.”  I have always read that boys are more reluctant readers than girls so I want to make sure I do everything in my power to foster a lifelong love of reading. I have made it my mission to search out a variety of titles, such as the Captain Raptor series and the other books on this blog, that really appeal to them.   As a result of my diligence, at 6 and 4, everyday they each still come to me with a stack of books and request that I read. They also spend a lot of time looking at books independently without any prompting. Thanks  O’Malley and O’Brien!

Simon’s Book by Henrik Drescher

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©1983 by Henrik Drescher

The opening page shows a young boy drawing a story.  Feeling weary, he goes to bed without completing it. Now this would be of no great import, were it not for the fact that the boy leaves his drawing with one of the characters, Simon, being menaced by a monster. Once the boy goes to sleep, the drawing comes to life. Thankfully, two pens and a jar of ink on the table have also come to life and aid Simon in his attempt to escape the monster.

The beast lunges and the pursuit of all four begins. The clever pens draw a hole which they believe is sufficiently large for them to escape, yet not large enough for the beast to follow; they are mistaken, for the beast leaps right through, hot on their trail.  

The four climb up a hill. When they reach the top, the pens form a wheel with Simon holding on in the middle, to hasten their descent.  They land at the foot of the hill with a thud as the wheel spins out of control.

To their horror, they look up to see the beast lunging at them. Surely they are about to meet their doom. 

In a comical turn of events, instead of devouring him, the beast gives Simon a big smooch.  The four are extremely relieved that this monster is amiable. The pens then draw a nice, comfy bed and tuck in an exhausted Simon with his new-found friend. They then return to their original spots on the desk, and they too fall asleep.

When the budding artist awakens the next morning, he is astonished by what he sees. In place of the sole drawing of Simon stranded on a page with a monster, there sits a complete book, “and that’s the same book that you’ve just finished reading.”

What a clever story! Any book that involves a character coming to life is almost guaranteed to be read and reread in this house. The reason being, we have always enjoyed talking about having our favorite characters visit for a a playdate. My boys have been fascinated by Simon’s Book for about two years now. It is wonderfully imaginative, suspenseful and maybe initially for a very young child, even slightly scary. However, once the scary monster turns out to be friendly, I think it will relieve any tension a kid might experience.

As an aside, I am quite the sentimental sort, so Drescher’s dedication to his children, made me misty-eyed.  “For Sofia and  Emile and Joakim. I made this book for you before I knew you’d fill my life – Dad” I wonder what wonderful things my kids will say about me, their sweet momma, in their own dedications one day;-)

Chewy Louie by Howie Schneider

Copyright ©2000 by Howie Schneider

Illustrations copyright ©2000 by Howie Schneider

A father brings home a dog for his little son. Louie is an adorable black puppy with a tail wagging a mile a minute. He is quickly nicknamed Chewy Louie because of his penchant for chewing everything in sight - bowls, toys, clothing, furniture etc.

Initially, only the little boy and his mother are worried about Louie’s insatiable appetite for chewing, but after Louie begins eating the back porch, even the father becomes sufficiently perturbed to take Louie to the Vet.

The family is assured that Louie is just a growing dog and are advised to feed him more. The illustration of the family driving away from the Vet’s office shows that Louie’s destruction is not confined simply to their home. Louie has bitten large chunks out of the tables and chair at the Vet’s office. He has even eaten off half of the Vet’s pant leg and lab coat.

At home, Louie has wreaked so much havoc that a construction crew is hired to make the house presentable for the little boy’s upcoming birthday party.  The repair men enter the house to discuss the job.   Louie gets to work outside, chewing the lumber stacked on their truck.  After they see their truck, the repair men quit before even commencing work. The family resorts to hiring two dog trainers, one right after the other.  Both trainers have vastly different approaches but both are equally ineffective;  Louie’s behavior sends them both packing and his chewing continues unabated. 

The day of the party arrives, and the family hopes that Louie will behave. Their hopes are dashed and hilarity ensues when it is time for cake. With the guest looking horrified, Louie begins chomping right through the table.

It then seems inevitable to the little boy that his pet will be sent away. Dejected, he plays one last game of fetch with Louie.  To his delight, for the very first time, Louie actually retrieves the stick instead of eating it. Over the next few days, to everyone's relief, it appears that Louie has indeed outgrown the chewing stage! 

The text is rather brief so it is the hilarious illustrations that really make this book a hit. My kids have loved to point out the items, and they are absurdly numerous, that he has chewed. Also, Louie is a rather goofy looking puppy - teeth protruding from his mouth, tongue lolling, tail constantly wagging - which makes him all the more adorable. You will laugh out loud and possibly sympathize, if you too have owned a Chewy Louie.

Heart of a Tiger by Marsha Diane Arnold illustrated by Jamichael Henterly

Text copyright ©1995 by Marsha Arnold
Pictures copyright ©1995 by Jamichael Henterly

In India, a house cat named Visvasi Naukar -Faithful Servant, has a litter of four kittens. They live on a plantation surrounded by the forest and are referred to by their birth order. However, that will soon change. Tradition dictates that a year after birth a special Naming Day Celebration is to be held in which the animals are permitted to choose their own names. There is only one restriction placed on the name selection: the animals of the forest must agree that the name chosen is “fair and honest.”   With the Naming Day Celebration only one week away, Numbers One, Two and Three discuss among themselves the names that they desire:  Mighty Hunter, Calico Colors and Adventurer, respectively. These names accurately reflect their personalities or appearance.   

Number Four is the runt of the litter and he is afraid that due to his size he will be saddled for life with a name like Smallest of All; the thought is unbearable.  Unbeknownst to his siblings, day after day Four has been observing Magnificent One, Wondrous Beast, Beautiful Bengal,  that lives in the forest. Despite his size and despite being a house cat, Four feels that he too should have an impressive tiger name like Golden Splendor or Silent Walker. Four has wanted to follow the tiger and learn to be like him and thereby rightfully chose a tiger’s name on Naming Day, but he has been too timid. With Naming Day only one week away, Four realizes that it is now or never. He plunges into the forest in search of Beautiful Bengal.

As he tracks the tiger, other animals in the forest inquire as to Four’s presence. When Four reveals his aspirations, some animals ridicule him; he, however, is undeterred. He even secretly continues to follow, despite the tiger himself scoffing at him and sternly commanding him to return to his mother.  

As the week elapses, Number Four is weary; his fur is matted; his paws hurt; he is hungry, yet he perseveres. He has gained much knowledge including “how to live wisely and strong on his own.”

One day, Four averts a tragedy. Through being silent and observant, he sees that Beautiful Bengal is in danger.  Still small, but increasingly clever and brave, Four is able to save his life. The tiger is grateful, but he then bluntly utters what is obvious, but nevertheless, Four needs to hear: while Four wants an impressive tiger’s name, Four will never be a tiger.  Beautiful Bengal softens his statement when he concludes with words of inspiration, “But inside, Little Four, you have a heart that will grow in wisdom and power as you grow.”

Naming Day arrives, and with all the animals of the forest in attendance including  Beautiful Bengal, Visvasi Naukar introduces her kittens by their chosen names, “Bahadur Shikari -Mighty Hunter; Rang Birange Kapare -Calico Colors; Sailani – Adventurer.” 

Lastly she introduces Number 4, “Bangali Sher Ka Dil – Heart of a Tiger. And all the animals agreed they were fair and honest names.”

Heart of a Tiger has such an empowering message of personal vision and perseverance.  It is one that I want my children to carry with them throughout their lives.  Dream lofty dreams for your life. Have the courage to act on those dreams. Persevere in your pursuit of those dreams despite the ridicule and skepticism you will experience at times.  While  a picture book, Heart of a Tiger would also make a great gift for an adult because we are never too old to be reminded of this message.

The kids enjoy Heart of a Tiger so much that they have named our recently adopted kitten  Bangali Sher Ka Dil, “Bangali” for short. Beautiful writing. Beautiful illustrations. Beautiful message.

Duck in the Truck by Jez Alborough

Text and illustrations copyright  ©  Jez Alborough 1999

Duck in the Truck is the first book in a wonderful series  about an overconfident, mishap-prone Duck and his long-suffering friends Frog, Sheep and Goat.  The story opens: “This is the Duck driving home in a truck. This is the track which is taking him back. This is the rock struck by the truck and this is the muck where the truck becomes stuck.”   

Frog and Sheep,  one by one, stumble upon Duck’s predicament and volunteer to help push the truck out of the muck, but to no avail;  the truck remains firmly mired in the mud. 

 

Finally Goat, who was asleep on his motorboat,  hears  a distress yell from Duck and comes up with a plan to tow the truck out. One end of a rope will be tied to the truck, the other end to his boat.

The plan is successful and the truck becomes unstuck; however, everyone is flabbergasted when ungrateful Duck drives off leaving the three good Samaritans in the mud.  This is not behavior that you want your kids to emulate but a hilarious way to discuss appropriate behavior and gratitude with your kids.

Duck, Frog, Sheep and Goat appear  in the next four equally wonderful installments in the series:  Captain Duck, Hit the Ball Duck, Fix-It Duck and Super Duck. The illustrations are done in vibrant colors that make you feel energized simply looking at them. The red of Duck’s truck and the green of Sheep’s jeep pop off the page. The rhyme and repetition is great fun as a parent to read aloud and that same rhyme and repetition also make it a great beginning reader. The books do double duty in our household.

Due to the age range of my children, 6, 4, and 2,  I have to schedule two different story times;  understandably, I usually cannot read my 6 year old  the same books that I read my 2 year old. My 4 year old, however,  is pretty content with either group.  On the days when two separate story times are impossible, I can rely on the books in the Duck series because they appeal to all three. As our three year old very loved and worn copies attest, We LOVE the Duck!

Railroad John and the Red Rock Run by Tony Crunk illustrated by Michael Austin

Text © 2006 by Tony Crunk
Illustrations  © 2006 by Michael Austin

This is what you would call a tall tale. Lonesome Bob is headed to the town of Red Rock for his wedding to Wildcat Annie who is “..wild as a panther, but sweet as a honeybee’s gold tooth.”  Accompanying him is Granny Apple Fritter.  Wildcat Annie is very prompt and the wedding will start precisely at 2:00. If Lonesome is even one minute late, there will be no wedding. The engineer of the Sagebrush Flyer for the Red Rock run is Railroad John. Railroad John assures Lonesome Bob, with the refrain that he utters whenever an obstacle is encountered, “I’ve driven this train for forty years and we’ve never been late once yet.”

The ride to Red Rock is far from uneventful.  Passengers are confronted with one calamity after another.  First, the train is waylaid by an outlaw named Bad Bill, “the vilest, orneriest outlaw that ever scuffed up dust.” Bad Bill does not want money or other valuables.  Instead, he seeks some hot coals for his fire breathing palomino.  Flame, as his horse is aptly named, needs the coal to eat.  After Bad Bill absconds with every piece of the coal which provides fuel for the train, the Sagebrush Flyer is stranded.   Lonesome, rightfully so, despairs that he will be late for his wedding.   It is Granny Apple Fritter who comes up with a solution to their predicament. She offers the Hard-Shell Chili-Pepper Corn-Pone Muffins that she baked for the wedding reception. The muffins are, “hot enough to set fire to an iceberg," so they are used to heat the furnace to get the stem engine chugging along.   

Unfortunately that is not the last setback the passengers experience.  There is a fierce rainstorm that washes the bridge away, but quick thinking Lonesome uses his guitar strings as a lariat to lasso the other side of the bridge and send the Sagebrush Flyer swinging over to the other side.  The passengers' happiness is short lived for they then exhaust Granny’s supply of Hard-Shell Chili-Pepper Corn-Pone Muffins and are once again stranded. A distraught Lonesome “squeezes out tears the size of elephant’s eggs.”

Just when it seems as if things cannot get any worse, yet another catastrophe strikes. There is a tornado, an “Idaho spine-twiner.”  It lifts into the air the Sagebrush Flyer, passengers and all. It sends them swirling through the air, but then quite unexpectedly, gently sets them down at their destination, the town of Red Rock. Railroad John is a man of his word because the time is 1:59.  Lonesome Bob and Granny Apple Fritter dash to the chapel  with one minute to spare, but to Lonesome’s dismay, Wildcat Annie is not there.

Don’t fret, Wildcat Annie has not left Lonesome at the altar. It turns out she was delayed because she captured Bad Bill and gang and retrieved the coal that he stole from Railroad John. In addition, Wildcat Annie presents some Hard-Shell Chili-Pepper Corn-Pone Muffins to Granny Apple Fritter and guitar strings to Lonesome Bob as a wedding present. Lonesome Bob and Wildcat Annie get married and afterwards there is one heck of a hoedown.
  

Tony Crunk has written quite an outlandish and hilarious adventure. He uses very colorful colloquial English which provides many opportunities for the reader to ham it up and use a southern drawl.  Railroad John and the Red Rock Run was a hit in our home from the first time it was read and a year later it is still in frequent rotation. My children’s absolute favorite part of the book is the following illustration and the passage describing the effects of the tornado:

The passengers, “…looked out, and a cloud of feathers came flying past – then they saw the chickens! A clump of needles came flying by  - then they saw the porcupine! A slosh of milk came flying by - then they saw the cow!"

The sepia toned illustrations of Michael Austin resemble old photographs and are truly a joy to view. The two last pages of the book provide even more of a  treat, but you will have to read Railroad John and the Red Rock Run to find out what they are.

Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary by Beverly Donofiro, illustrated by Barbara McClintock

Text Copyright © 2007 Beverly Donofrio

Illustrations copyright © 2007 Barbara McClintock

Mary is a little girl who resides in a large impressive house.  Mouse is a little girl mouse who inhabits a small house inside the large impressive house. The girls only dare to secretly wave to each other every day from their respective homes, Mary’s parents having warned her about mice and Mouse’s parent’s  having similarly cautioned her about humans. Despite these warnings, a bond develops between the two.  In beautiful detail, the book shows the parallels between Mary’s life and Mouse’s life: story time, family dinners, school.

As kids tend to do, Mary grows up and leaves home for college. Mouse grows up and similarly leaves home, but they never forget each other. 

 

Mary eventually has a daughter of her own, Maria, and they live in a large impressive house. Mouse also eventually has a daughter of her own, Mouse Mouse, and where do you think they live?  You guessed it, in a small house inside adult Mary and her family’s large impressive house. As did their mothers, this second generation of little girls live parallel lives.  However, unlike their mothers, Maria and Mouse Mouse one day eventually come face to face and greet each other. 

Donofrio has written a simple and charming tale that will become beloved by any kid to whom it is read, especially girls.  My little girl, as do most children, enjoys studying illustrations, and Mcclintock’s wonderfully detailed illustrations do not disappoint.   Of particular note is how Mcclintock has drawn the mouse house. Their home is furnished with items that were possibly discarded from the big house or possibly pilfered by the mice. A wristwatch is used as a clock; a scarf as a rug; an egg carton as a sofa; thread spools as furniture; postage stamps as wall art and the list goes on and on.  This type of attention to detail makes the difference between a book only being requested once a month or, as is the case with this book, being requested once a day by my daughter.  Comparing and contrasting the people house with the mouse house is just as important to her as hearing the text read aloud.  She finds something new each time we read Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary.