Fluffy: Scourge of the Sea

This is a terrific book for 4-6 year olds, both boys and girls. The story is told in rhyme, and is quite funny. Adults need not fear reading it multiple times, a key factor in stories for this age group. The book is well illustrated as well. Highly recommended.

I was given this book as a gift (I'm an adult), and I laughed out loud several times as I read it. The story is heartwarming, and the drawings are incredible, subtly alluding to a lot of the physical characteristics of well-groomed poodles while enhancing the story line.

While babysitting my young next-door neighbors, I read "Fluffy: Scourge of the Sea" to them, about a year or so ago. These two little boys liked it, laughing out loud - but I LOVED it; I actually found it to be more sophisticated (and hysterically funny) than the author may have intended. Certainly, Fluffy teaches the pirates a thing or two, in memorable fashion, but the rhymes and illustrations are appealing to adults, if for nothing more than sheer entertainment value. Buy "Fluffy" for the kids, but keep it in YOUR bookcase....when you're having a bad day, reread Fluffy and you'll instantly smile and feel a lot better!

Fluffy is a privileged, pampered poodle, And, we might suppose he's no match for a large, vicious pirate dog. Guess again. Lolling comfortably on his yacht, Fluffy is suddenly overtaken by a large ship flying a Jolly Roger. Of course, it's manned by pirates, and they think Fluffy is the biggest pushover on the bounding main. They laughed aloud as they brought him on board. Nobody but a pantywaist would wear ruffles, bows, and have his name on his collar. Well, Fluffy had a spine, and he quieted their laughter with the announcement that he was "Fluffy - Scourge of All the Sea!" Of course, the pirates were dubious about this but as Fluffy strutted about the deck he began to look more and more like a buccaneer to them. The pirate captain hoped to prove Fluffy was a fake by challenging him to a duel. Little did he know that Fluffy had gone to fencing school. More contests followed to see exactly who was the most powerful and capable of being the ship's captain. Michael Chesworth's whimsical watercolor and pencil illustrations perfectly capture Fluffy, the Captain, and all the canine crew. - Gail Cooke