Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Flinn is at school looking in the art cupboard for some coloured pens to finish off his dinosaur drawing when he stumbles upon Captain Stubble, a real live Pirate Captain! He tells Flinn that his ship, the Acorn, has been stolen and that he needs Flinn to help him rescue it back. Stubble makes Flinn the captain and they sail away on an old pirate ship...they finally find the Acorn but, to their horror, realise it's been stolen by PIRATE DINOSAURS! Captain Flinn and his crew attack the dinosaurs and, after much fighting, seize control of the ship once more. Flinn and his friends then sail back to the harbour clambering through the boatshed door and back into the art cupboard without the teacher even noticing they've been gone!

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

K-Gr 3-This imaginary adventure combines a boy's two passions-pirates and prehistoric animals. Flinn's markers run out while he is drawing a dinosaur at school and he goes to the supply closet to get more. There he discovers a sobbing pirate who explains that his ship has been stolen. Along with three friends, Flinn vows to help Captain Stubble retake the Acorn. The closet wall falls away, revealing a bright blue day and a scrappy-looking vessel. The children don pirate garb and Captain Stubble, who prefers to be the cook, puts Flinn in charge. They discover that the Acorn has been taken over by fierce, pirate dinosaurs, and a great battle ensues. All of the creatures jump overboard--except for the Tyrannosaurus rex. Flinn crosses swords with the frightening beast until it finally surrenders. Then it is time to return to school and the children step back through the closet and into the classroom where everyone is wondering where they have been. Ayto's watercolor-and-ink illustrations are angular, bold, and lively. The pirate dinosaurs-complete with eye patches and pointy weapons-are a curious combination of ferocious and precious. They look very much like Flinn's drawing. The fast-paced action and vibrant artwork make this tale a fun and exciting read-aloud.-Linda Staskus, Parma Regional Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 1-3. Andreae combines several childhood obsessions into a rousing tale of a schoolboy named Flinn who helps a weeping pirate, discovered at the back of his classroom's supply closet, to recover a ship that has been stolen by a gang of dinosaurs. In Ayto's appropriately big, messy, garishly colored cartoons, the peg-legged, eye-patched dino crew is impressive enough, but it's nothing next to its leader, a huge, slavering tyrannosaur Captain Hook, who battles intrepid young Flinn for more than two hours before conceding defeat. Will Flinn stay and become captain of all the pirate dinosaurs? No, it's time to sail back through the closet for lunch. Children fond of pirates, dinosaurs, ships, and wild rumpuses in general will happily climb aboard. --John Peters Copyright 2005 Booklist

Horn Book Review

In his classroom's supply closet, young Flinn encounters and teams up with a stubble-bearded pirate named (what else) Captain Stubble. Three classmates join them as they embark on a fantasy adventure that leads to a showdown with pirate dinosaurs, Flinn going one-on-one with Tyrannosaurus rex. Bold colors and exaggerated art and situations are engaging. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.