School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 3-Small Saul is determined to spend his life at sea. He is too short to join the Navy, but not to enroll in Pirate College. After earning a diploma that states "You ARRR a Pirate," he heads down to the docks with a smile on his face, a plant tucked under his arm, and a rat by his side. Although he is willing to join any crew, the only pirates to make room for him are those on the dilapidated Rusty Squid. He knows that pirates only care about three things: their ship, being tough, and lots and lots of treasure. Once onboard, he tries to prove his mettle by making the ship more homey, getting a bunny tattoo, and baking while on kitchen duty, but when the other pirates see the results, the captain pushes him overboard. With Small Saul out of their lives, they can continue in the "old pirate ways." But when the smell becomes unbearable in the cabins and the food indigestible at mealtimes, they go back and rescue Saul. They realize he may not be like them, but that his individuality should be appreciated and accepted. Ink and watercolor cartoons exaggerate the differences between Saul and the stereotypical pirates. His gentle appearance and behavior (handing out breath mints to the crew) are opposite to what readers have come to expect. A great book to start off a pirate-themed storytime.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.