Being a Captain is Hard Work: A Captain No Beard Story by Carole P. Roman

Captain is Hard Work: A Captain No Beard Story by Carole P. Roman, illustrated by Bonnie Lemaire is another picture book in the beloved pirate series for children  Watercolor styled art perfectly accompanies the nautical pirate and marine themes. The detailed cartoon art is fast paced and the expressive cartoons will capture the attention of young children.

The story begins on the Flying Dragon as they approach an ominous sky with a strange cloud formation.  The approach of a storm prompts the captain and crew try to identify the cloud types. Young children can follow along with the educational conversation about identifying clouds in the sky.  Children will be eager to hear what follows next as the crew sails the rough stormy weather.  The end of the book includes a guide to identifying the different cloud types. This is a great story book for children of all ages, and even for those who are unfamiliar with this series.

As with the other books,  this book centers around essential  messages about kindness and compassion.   Captain No Beard has wisdom that can apply to all audiences, the young, the old, parents as well as children.  In other stories of the series, we find more Captain No Beard words of wisdom:   "problems can weigh you down like a heavy anchor. When you share your load with others, it's never too heavy to carry."

Ironically, these pirates with their pirate ship have more morals and ethics than the traditional pirate in children's literature. The lesson transcends age, and will leave a lasting impression long after the book is put down. As a parent, this is certainly a story I would share with my children ages 15, 10, 3 and 19 months.  Roman is an effective children's author that threads wisdom and morals throughout her fictional stories, and has mastered the plot twist adding an element of surprise that even parents will appreciate as they read this story to their children.

        The books of this series belong on the bookshelf of every pirate enthusiast. There is more to this series than meets the eye- beyond the pirate theme are tales of morals and inspiration.  Any parent navigating the endless choices in the children's picture book genre should take a look at this quality series. This has become one of my favorite series for children. This book is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble as well as a Kindle edition.