Small Saul is a fun picture book from Kids Can Press written and illustrated by Ashley Spires sure to appeal to pirate-loving kids or anyone who needs a little dose of encouragement or inspiration.
Most picture books that aren’t just pure silliness often end up imparting some sort of moral lesson to the readers (and/or their parents). This one seems to be that encouragement to “follow your dreams”, with a side of “we’re all different and that’s okay.”
Saul has had a love of the sea since he was a little one, so when he’s old enough, he tries to join the navy, but he’s too small. Even though he doesn’t fit the image of a pirate, they aren’t as picky, so he attends pirate school. He does well in some classes like Intro to Swabbing the Deck, but not so well in Looking or Treasure Map Interpretation. Nonetheless, he manages to pass, earning the coveted diploma which reads, “You ARRR a Pirate.”
But just because he’s earned the title of pirate, doesn’t mean he’s earned the respect of his fellow pirates. They end up throwing him overboard (which is just something pirates do, after all), but once he’s gone they miss his contributions and go back to get him.
The illustrations add to the text in this story (such as the diploma referenced above) which encouraged my son and I to slow down and look closely to find the fun details and little jokes.
Jennifer Donovan enjoys the water, but wouldn’t want to live on it. She’s blogged about her favorite seaside getaways at Snapshot.