Captain Monty Takes the Plunge

Captain Monty is a fox and a pirate captain. He is afraid of water and can’t swim. One day, he looks through his spyglass and sees a mermaid named Meg. Monty tells her jokes. His jokes are amusing. Meg shows him constellations and fishing spots. He likes that she swims like a fish. She doesn’t want to go to dinner with him because he smells bad. (He doesn’t go in the water, ever.) One day, Meg gets captured by an octopus. Monty jumps in after her. He defeats the octopus by tickling it. Then they both go back up. Then Meg teaches Monty how to swim.

The illustrations are colorful. The animals are cute. Some animals are normal animals. Some are anthropomorphized, like the captain and his crew. The otter pirate has the funniest clothes. He’s a little bit too fashionable with a top hat. The illustrator uses scribbles for texture.

The ending is good. I don’t think it would help kids get over their fears, but it’s a good story. I wonder why Meg is a human mermaid. She could have been another fox or a different animal. This is a good book for a library storytime.