From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2–A boy curls up in a cozy chair to enjoy his favorite book, whereupon readers are whisked away on a trip through different types of literature. The story assumes a book within a book format, as a turn of the page takes youngsters inside Charlie's pirate adventure. Here the layout resembles an open novel, with the title
Shiver Me Timbers emblazoned across the top. A pirate digs up a treasure chest that contains–you guessed it–a book. Another page turn reveals that it is a collection of fairy tales, as Baby Bear finds Goldilocks in his bed reading his favorite story about a knight and a dragon. This pattern continues until the action returns to Charlie, still in his armchair, now surrounded by all of the characters. The spreads cleverly reflect the featured tales, and the endpapers show all of the volumes lined up on a shelf. Unfortunately, the loosely rhyming text is awkward to read aloud and the transitions often seem forced. Youngsters are ultimately left looking for more substance to accompany Scheffler's humorous, brightly colored cartoons. For a story that celebrates reading, try Michael Garland's
Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook (Dutton, 2003), which deftly delivers hilarious, quirky tales.
–Jill Heritage Maza, Conn Elementary, Raleigh, NC Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 2. The unusual endpapers for this appealing book show a shelf with 10 books:
Shiver Me Timbers, Fairy Tales from a Forgotten Island, and so on. A boy named Charlie Cook reads those books, beginning with a tale about a pirate, who digs for treasure and finds . . . a book about Goldilocks, who creates havoc in the bears' house before retiring to Baby Bear's bed to read . . . a book about a knight, who defends himself from a dragon by reading aloud from a joke book, and so on. The pattern progresses through volume after volume, finally coming full circle in a clever conclusion. Children will enjoy wrapping their minds around both the art and the story as the tale sequences through book after book. Amusing pencil, ink, watercolor, colored pencil, and crayon illustrations make the most of each new setting and cast of characters, while varying page design and type make the volume-to-volume differences more apparent. Great fun.
Carolyn PhelanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.