Pirates

I don't think my kiddos got it; the pictures were a little too small and much of the story relied on the visuals. ( )

Small Saul has always wanted to be a pirate, but he's not the sword-wielding, rough-talking type. He makes his way onto a ship called The Rusty Squid and tries to fit in, but the other pirates don't like the ways Small Saul is different, and they make him walk the plank. Saul spends some time aboard a floating log with a seagull for company while the pirates realize the ways he made their lives on the ship better, and they turn around and scoop him back up.

Though the illustration style is similar to The Most Magnificent Thing, both cartoonish and precise, my 3yo found the pirates too scary.

See also: Rufus Goes to Sea ( )

This is such as adorable book about acceptance and being different. I am definitely in love with Asley Spires. ( )

This was a cute tale about a determined Saul who, though he did not have many attributes to make him one, persisted in his dream to sail the seas as a pirate. I liked how the illustrations enhanced the story by filling in the details and giving life to the language that was obvious to an adult reader, but not as direct as the kids would need to really get the story. ( )