Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs, by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto

Flinn, like so many other boys his age, loves dinosaurs and pirates. One day at school his teacher sends him to a walk-in cupboard to look for the pens he needs to colour a dinosaur picture. While inside, Flinn hears the sound of a man crying. He is amazed to find Captain Stubble, a pirate, shaking and shuddering on the floor under a curtain. The reason for Captain Stubble's despair is that his ship has been stolen. Flinn offers to help him get it back, and out of nowhere three of his friends appear, all clamouring to join in the adventure.

Suddenly the back of the cupboard falls away and they find themselves on board a pirate ship. Captain Stubble appoints Flinn as the new captain, as he would rather be the cook. Off they sail in search of the lost ship, the 'Acorn'. After a long voyage they spot it through their telescope but are horrified to see that it has been taken over by pirate dinosaurs, with a mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex at the helm. They bravely attack, and soon all the dinosaurs except for T Rex jump overboard. Flinn challenges Tyrannosaurus to a duel, and miraculously keeps going until the dinosaur surrenders. Tyrannosaurus promises to be good from then on, and is so impressed by Flinn that he appoints him as the new captain of the dinosaur pirates.

Flinn, however, suddenly realises he should be back at school. They sail home while Stubble cooks shark's fin stew for everyone. Back on shore the children wave goodbye to Stubble and Tyrannosaurus Rex, then clamber back into the school cupboard. As they creep into the classroom, Miss Pie has just finished reading a story to the class. She wonders what Flinn and his pals have been up to, but they just smile at each other and say, “Nothing really at all.”

Giles Andreae has taken two popular groups of characters in the form of pirates and dinosaurs to create a fast-paced adventure that could hardly fail to be a success, especially among young boys. When I asked a group of four-year-olds which stories they would like to repeat in their drama sessions at the end of the school year, “Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” was one of their three choices. (The other two were Julia Donaldson's “A Squash and a Squeeze” and “Courtney” by John Burningham.) It is easy to see the appeal. It is, however, hard to overlook the parallel with C.S. Lewis' “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” when Flinn and company fall through the back of the cupboard. Pre-school children of course are unlikely to be aware of this similarity. Even so, whilst there is excitement and a bravely fought duel, the story is neither original nor intriguing. The ending is also somewhat of an anticlimax.

Russell Ayot's illustrations for “Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” are bold, humorous and highly colourful. Tyrannosaurus in his pirate rig-out has evil eyes and deadly sharp teeth, confronting puny Flinn who bravely wields his silver cutlass with a determined expression. At one point we see a fascinating cross-section of the 'Acorn' with almost toothless pirate prisoners tied up below deck, and Tyrannosaurus Rex grinning in anticipation as he watches Stubble (who has a great deal of stubble) stirring the stew. There's even a bemused little blue parrot. Smoke puffs out from the kitchen against a scarlet sky.

“Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” is definitely a read-aloud story rather than a book for a child learning to read. The text is superimposed on the illustrations, usually on a light-coloured background but occasionally on red or blue. Some words and phrases appear in a larger font for emphasis, and one or two are in capitals in a font that looks like handwriting. Exclamation marks abound. A lot of young children are familiar with the names of various species of dinosaur that appear here, such as stegosaurus and triceratops, but that does not of course mean that they would find them easy to read. Phrases such as “All hands on deck!” or “Right, me hearties” lend authenticity to the pirate theme, but here again originality is sadly lacking.

“Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs” is a particularly lively book that is more than likely to hold the attention of children, especially boys, aged from three up to six or perhaps seven. It is not the greatest, most imaginative story, but children of that age may not be so critical. One or two of the illustrations could be frightening for a very young child, but on the whole they are amusing and bring the story to life. This is a picture book that may not be the favourite for the adult reader, but could be very popular with a child that loves action with pirates or dinosaurs or both.


Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs
Giles Andreae (Author) and Russell Ayto (Illustrator)
Puffin, 2006
Paperback, 32 pages
ISBN 9780140569216
Price £6.99 (Amazon £4.99)

Courtney, by John Burningham

A boy and girl try to convince their parents to let them get a dog; they say it could guard the house and play with them. Mum and dad protest at first, saying that dogs need to be fed and walked, and they make a lot of mess. The children promise that they will take care of everything, and Mum gives in. The children set off for the Dogs' Home, pushing the baby in the buggy. Their parents stress that they must get a dog with a pedigree.

At the home the boy and girl don't see the right dog at first, so they ask if there is a dog that nobody wants. A man shows them Courtney, an old grey dog, and the children decide at once that they are taking him home. Their parents of course are not impressed by this mongrel; the children are sent off to bed and Courtney settles down to sleep in the kitchen. Next morning there is no sign of him, but he comes back later in the day, dragging a trunk behind him. He appears to be well travelled.

Courtney loses no time in donning a chef's hat and apron, cooking a meal for the family, changing into waiter's clothes and serving the food, playing the violin as they eat and then juggling to amuse the baby. As time goes on, he sometimes meets up with dogs in the park but spends most of his time doing household chores, watching television with the children or dancing with mum. Tragedy strikes one day when the house catches fire with the baby and Courtney inside; Courtney suddenly appears climbing down a ladder with the baby safely under one arm.

Life goes on, but one morning there is no sign of Courtney or his trunk. The parents remind the children that Courtney is a mongrel who cannot be relied on. The boy and girl, once again pushing the baby along, report Courtney as missing at the police station. Needless to say, the officer doesn't expect a dog who can cook and play the violin to be handed in, but he promises to let the children know.

The following summer the family set off to the seaside for a holiday. Every day the children go off in a boat that is tied to a rock by a long rope. On the last day, however, the rope breaks and the boat drifts out to sea. Mum cries for help, and suddenly there is a tug as the boat begins to be pulled back to the shore by something invisible. The family never find out exactly who or what saved the children, but in one illustration near the end of the book the outline of an old dog can be seen on a cliff top, looking down on the family as they hug each other.

In 'Courtney', John Burningham has created a delightful, imaginative story. It's obviously total fantasy, but the children I read it to found the idea of a dog dressing up and doing household chores or dancing extremely funny. Although Courtney is an old and not particularly attractive dog, there is something very lovable about him and you can understand why the children decided they wanted him as soon as they saw him. I have to admit that it was not on first reading that I noticed Courtney's presence on the cliff top in a picture near the end of the book, but when I asked the children how they thought the boy and girl had been saved, they were convinced that Courtney rescued them. Interestingly, Courtney is the only character in the story who is named.

John Burningham illustrates his picture books himself and he is one of my favourite illustrators. He uses a fair amount of colour with line drawings that are usually quite sketchy; the colours bring them to life but are never overdone. Facial features are minimal yet still convey expressions and feelings. Dad obviously hates the idea of his wife leaning against Courtney as he plays the violin, although on the previous page he was delighted at the prospect of dinner cooked by the dog.

Every page has a white background that makes for easy reading. Usually there are just one or two lines of text at the top or bottom of the page, sometimes slightly more. The font is large and clear. 'Courtney' is definitely a book for reading aloud, but it is such a charming story that a confident reader aged around seven might still find it an interesting story.

First published in 1994, 'Courtney' is not the most up-to-date picture book and I'm not aware of a television tie-in, but two groups of children that I have read it aloud to have genuinely loved it. They were aged three and a half to four years old, but I'm sure slightly older children would still appreciate it. It shows us that it's not always the most attractive creature that is the cleverest or most lovable one. It allows children to give full rein to their imaginations, and has an intriguing element of mystery at the end. I wholeheartedly recommend finding a place for Courtney in any home where there are young children.

Courtney
by John Burningham
Red Fox, 1996
Paperback, 32 pages
ISBN 9780099666813
Price £5.99 (£4.11)

Great Picture Books for Reading Aloud

Reading aloud is an ideal activity to follow a free play session when the children are ready to sit still and be calm for a while. It fosters listening skills that are the basis of the learning process, encourages a love of books and instils a desire in the children to be able to read the stories themselves. Whilst the children I read to love traditional tales such as The Gingerbread Man or Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, we usually read contemporary stories. I'm listing some of our favourite books here.

Shark in the Park by Nick Sharratt (Corgi Childrens, ISBN 0552549770) is the story of a young boy, Timothy Pope, who goes to the park with his telescope (which obviously rhymes with his name). Each time he looks through the telescope, he sees something that looks like the black fin of a shark, so he shouts out 'There's a shark in the park!' This is repeated several times throughout the book, and the children know when it's coming and love to shout the phrase out themselves each time. Of course what Timothy sees is not a shark; the first time it's a cat's ear, once it's his father's quiff, another time a bird's wing, and so on. Great amusement. As his father finally decides to take him home, they turn their backs on the park and there in the duck pond appears an ominous black fin. The repetition and the humour both make this a popular story.

Here Comes the Crocodile by Kathryn White and Michael Terry (Little Tiger Press, ISBN 185430979X) is perhaps our greatest favourite, and one which also lends itself particularly well to drama sessions too. The scene is set in the hot, green jungle, and as the crocodile stirs in the river he sends a shiver throughout. He's hungry and on the lookout for his prey. Encountering several animals such as monkeys, flamingos, an elephant and a zebra, he threatens each of them in turn. They each have an excuse at the ready: the elephant claims that he is made of solid grey rock and will break the crocodile's teeth, whereas the zebra says his black stripes are pepper and his white stripes salt. The flamingos insist they are made of candy floss which will make the crocodile sick. Having failed to trap any of the animals, the crocodile is by that time so hungry that he rolls on his back crying' 'Boo-hoo, I want my mummy!' The reader can put so much expression into this that it sounds ridiculous and will have the children curling up with laughter. The animals all take pity on the crocodile, so the monkey shares some bananas, the zebra offers grass and the elephant gives a generous spray of water from his trunk. They are all together and thinking how wonderful life is when suddenly a tiger springs out of nowhere saying 'I am ready for tea!' This is another opportunity for putting plenty of expression into your voice, and as the story ends we discuss who will win the fight: the crocodile or the tiger? The text is in the form of a rhyming poem, and included in the illustrations is an image of what would happen to the crocodile if he ate that particular animal. A wonderful book.

Barty's Ketchup Catastrophe by Sally Chambers (Piccadilly Press Ltd, ISBN 1853404845) is a story that the children never tire of. Barty is actually a sheep who is obsessed with tomato ketchup. He has it on everything: his breakfast cereal, his sandwiches at school, and even on birthday cake, at which point the children always come out with a chorus of 'Uughh!' and we all agree that none of us would eat cake with tomato ketchup. One day Barty is invited to a sleepover at his friend Cedric's house. He is so excited and eagerly packs his overnight bag. Even though the children I read to are only four years old, they do already go to sleepovers and can easily identify with Barty's excitement. When Barty arrives at Cedric's, they play in his room until it's time for tea. Pizza is served, with grass topping of course, and Barty asks for some ketchup. Horror of horrors, Cedric's mum looks in the cupboard and announces that there isn't any. Barty sits quietly for a while, too embarrassed to cry, and has a drink. Eventually he decides to try the pizza and finds that it isn't so bad after all without ketchup. When he returns home his family wonder if he has got over his obsession, but no. Next time he is invited to Cedric's he makes absolutely sure he has packed the ketchup. I'm never quite sure why this is such a firm favourite, but perhaps the children have been through similar experiences of having a meal at a friend's house and finding that it's not quite like it is at home. The text is simple and the illustrations certainly look friendly.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury (Walker Books Ltd, ISBN 0774523230) is a story that probably appeals as much to adults as it does to children. A family sets off to look for a bear and has to go through all weathers and settings on the way. They encounter mud, for example, and say, 'We can't go over it, we can't go under it; oh no, we'll have to go through it!' These words are repeated each time they come to a new obstacle, such as a forest or a snowstorm. Then follow onomatopoeic phrases that describe the experience, such as 'swishy swashy' for long grass. When they finally come upon a bear in a cave, however, they are terrified and rush back the way they came, so we see they journey in reverse order. They go into the house, run upstairs and jump into bed, only to realize that they didn't shut the front door. Down they go to shut the bear out and feel safe at last. The bear wanders back to his cave and looks particularly forlorn; we feel that he was so looking forward to some company. 

These are the four books that I would recommend above all others, but there are of course many more that we enjoy. Doing the Animal Bop by J. Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner (Oxford University Press, ISBN 0192791400) is a lively, rhythmic tale where children could get up and imitate the movements of the animals as the book is being read. Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper (Corgi Children's, ISBN 0552556734) is the story of a cat, a squirrel and a duck that shows how we should share experiences fairly, allowing everyone to have a turn at doing different things in the process. The books in the series about Spot the dog are always popular, especially as they involve lifting flaps to see who is underneath.

The most successful reading-aloud sessions are likely to be those where the reader puts plenty of expression into the voices of the different characters. Rhythm, rhyme and repetition can also play an important part in making listening fun, and of course humour itself will always help children to enjoy following a story right through until the end.