Calico Jack

First and foremost: this book is cute and fun. The illustrations are entertaining and adorable and the story itself sparks imagination. It even has some teachable moments for kids, such as learning that silver is a harder metal than gold, that the pirate flag is called a Jolly Roger, and the names and appearances of several sailing-related knots.

For the most part, I wanted to give this book five stars for being so adorable and imaginative, but I found it difficult to settle into reading properly. At times, it has a rhyme scheme (very blatantly so, in fact) while at other times there's no rhyming to be found. That made reading it feel a bit stilted and lack flow, which I imagine might make children confused or lose interest if their guardian is reading it to them. That's why I knocked it down to four stars, and I do advise that parents warn children this is just a book therefore they shouldn't take the advice of petting a stray cat in order to be told stories of its pirate cat friends. (But we should be teaching children reality vs. fiction anyway, so I count that as another teachable moment.)

Overall, I enjoyed this book for being so adorably creative and I have a few children in my family who I know will love it. Also, I commend the author and artist for making a Kindle version that's actually very easy and engaging to read. Far too many Kindle Edition children's books require intense eye strain to read.