The Legend of Captain McFinn and Friends by Phyllis Cafaro

The Legend of Captain McFinn and Friends by Phyllis Cafaro, illustrated by Mada Design, Inc.

Rating: 3.5 stars

I started worrying about bullying two years ago, when Lorelei started school.  Preschool.  She was 3 1/2 years old, and she knew what a bully was, and to tell the teacher if she thought someone was being a bully on the playground.  Sure, the might-makes-right idea will always exist everywhere from my daughter's playground to global politics, but...we parents and educators can and should do all we can do to prevent it.  The consequences are so very horrific when we do not.

Enter The Legend of Captain McFinn and Friends, the first of a series of books created to teach important lessons of life, including the value of being a friend rather than a bully.  The books are heavy-handed in teachable sentences, but worthy of discussion in any classroom or home.  There's a ton of information at www.captainmcfinn.com, including stuffed animals of the main characters, the bullying prevention program S.H.A.R.K. patrol, downloads for teachers and parents, and a whole lot more.

The story: McFinn is a big, strong shark and the leader of a gang of fish that torment a nicer group of fish in the first story.  Things are going swimmingly for McFinn and he's enjoying being nasty and mean-spirited until he gets into trouble and the nice fish have to rescue him.  In a flash he realizes what a jerk he's been, and changes his ways.  Mean McFinn becomes Captain McFinn, the protector of the reef and a friend to all.

I like the book because kids can put themselves in the shoes--or fins?--of each side: the nice fish who get bullied, and the bully who needs help.  They all swim happily ever after, to the next books that teach other important life lessons.

The publisher of this series was kind enough to mail me the three books and a CD, and I'm happy to give them away to be appreciated and used again and again.  I would love the collection to go to a school, but I'll leave that up to the winner.  To be included in the raffle, just add a comment below and a way to contact you should your name be The Chosen One.  Thanks for playing (and good luck)!

Piggy and Dad Go Fishing by David Martin, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz

Piggy and Dad Go Fishing by David Martin, illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz

Rating: 3.5 stars

You would have been amused if you were a fly on the wall when I read this to Lorelei and Ben.

In the story, Piggy is thrilled to finally go fishing with his father.  So he digs up some worms and trots off behind his piggy pop.  They get lakeside and pop tells son: bait the hook.

Enter the conversation with Lorelei and Ben: "What does 'bait' mean, Mommy?"  Hmmm.  So I explain, honestly, that you stick the worm on the hook and cast him into the water in order to lure the fish over to the hook.  Then the fish has to look at the worm and say, "I want to eat him for lunch!" and go awwwgph!* and chomp on the hook. And then you can pull the fish up and say, "I want to eat him for lunch!"  I like this explanation, though a little concerned that they'll  be concerned about how worms really get the raw end of the deal.

But they are satisfied with my explanation, so I move on.

Piggy tries to drape the smiley worm over the hook.  He slides off.  Piggy tries to tie the smiley worm in a knot around the hook.  He slides off.  His father gently explains that you're going to have to "poke the hook into the worm."  Piggy looks at the smiley worm, then at his father.  "Let's use bread instead."

WHAT?!  I just explained that whole bait thing for no reason?!  Man.

So they use bread as bait and fall asleep waiting (sometimes it bothers me how stereotypes are both reflected and made in children's books...).  Then a fish bites and they reel it in.  Piggy is excited.

Enter the conversation with Lorelei and Ben: "What are they going to do with the fish, Mommy?"  Hmmm.  Well, they are going to eat him.  When we eat our salmon and our meat, it's because they've been caught for us to eat.  (Inside, I'm crossing my fingers and toes and begging them not to become vegetarians.  My menu challenges would be unbearable.)

And then Piggy looks at the smiley fish and...throws him back.

WHAT?!?  I just explained how we kill animals for meals for no reason?!  MAN!

In the end, Piggy and Dad decide to go "feed-the-fish fishing," where they ball up pieces of bread from their sandwiches, throw them in, and watch the fish chomp on them happily.  The next day they bring the fish donuts.

A slightly exasperating read for me, personally, but now that I've given you a head's up you won't have such a hard time.  You're welcome.



* What onomatopoeia is appropriate to describe the sound of a fish eating a worm off a hook?  I am stumped.  Feel free to add your own if you're so inclined.

Big Al by Andrew Clements Yoshi

Big Al by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Yoshi

Rating: 5 fishy stars

An old friend recommended this book to me--she said that she used to read this book to her kindergarten class on the first day of school every year.  I was intrigued...it must teach a good lesson and be pretty captivating, right?

Yes and yes!

Big Al is the friendliest fish in the whole wide ocean, but he was pretty scary--he has googly eyes, big, sharp teeth, and is brown and monster-like.  He attempts to make friends (he hasn't a single one) by covering himself with seaweed, wiggling himself into the sand to look small, changing his color to match other fish, but nothing works.  So he "cries big salty tears into the big salty sea."  Poor guy!  To say that Yoshi makes him looks forlorn is an understatement.  But, after another failed attempt to make a single friend, a net catches a huge school of fish.  Big Al chomps the net and saves them, making him a friend to all.  I LOVE the picture of happy Big Al!  How can you not love a big galoot of a fish with a heart of gold?

I think the only drawback to this book is that, as I stated before, Big Al is pretty scary.  While we had it from the library Ben and Lorelei rarely chose it on their own to read.  But I would choose it and put it among the books designated for meal time or bed time or nap time, and they always enjoyed it.  For this reason, I think it is best used like my friend used, in school and to teach the oh-so important lesson of befriending even the odd-looking and odd-acting fish in the sea. 

Please, please, please let just half of the kids on Earth learn this!  What a better place schools would be.


P.S.  The illustrator, Yoshi, has a fantastic website at which you can purchase the print of happy Big Al and four other images from the book.