Let's see now. If you had to tick off on your ten fingers some of the most endearing characters children latch on to at an early age, you'd probably mention dinosaurs (check), maybe even monsters (though only friendly ones - check), fairies and other mythical folk (check) and a whole zoo full of anthropomorphized animal characters (check check check). Oh, and of course pirates.
It's easy to see the appeal of pirates to toddlers. They're naughty and they get away with it. They sail the seven seas in search of treasure. Oh and did I mention they're naughty and get away with it?
So in this book we find the rather whimsical tale of a rather boring accountant and his extremely vibrant and interesting mother, who just happens to be a pirate. They settle down in the big city. The man goes to work juggling figures but his mother yearns for the call of the sea.
Begging his boss for time off (so it's not just me then!) to take his mother to the seaside, the man embarks on a journey of discovery with his mum, and they meet several fascinating characters along the way.
There's a whopping great big message in this book that peppers the pages from start to finish. The ordinary, the everyday and the mundane should be shrugged off regularly in favour of something a bit more "derring do" and it takes a while for the accountant to figure this out (of course).
Absolutely loved the pirate mum though.
Charlotte's best bit: Pirate Mum's habit of shooting a silver pistol into the air when happy.
Daddy's favourite bit: The man's boss. The epitome of bosses everywhere. "Turn up in a week or we'll replace you with a computer!"
Rating: 4 out of 5