VeggieTales: Pirates, Mess Detectives, and a Superhero, (I Can Read #1)

This book is actually three books in one, Pirate in Training, Larry Boy and the Mudslingers, and Listen Up, Larry.  This is a wonderful book for reading to a young child or for early readers. The illustrations are colorful and have a variety of their fun Veggie friends to identify.  There are bible verses from the New International Readers Version at the beginning of each story that reflect the theme of that story.  The themes are learning, forgiveness, and listening.

In Pirate In Training, Junior Asparagus decides that school is too hard and he wants to be a pirate. Larry, Mr. Lunt, and Pa explain specifically how they use reading and math to be good pirates and how he will learn about other things he may want to be when he grows up.

All three stories have character messages that are very important for this age group. 

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Distortion by Terri Blackstock

Distortion starts out a little confusing.  Being part of a series, there are a number of people who need to be reintroduced, and I had trouble keeping them straight. Once I figured out who they were, I then had to remember their relationships as they were all related.  I don’t think I can recommend this as a standalone book. If you have read the others in the series then you will be much more able to keep it straight. 

There is another facet to the story that is a little different. Usually the reader has little connection to the victim and their family. We usually grow close to the detective and other law enforcement as they investigate the case.  Distortion is different in that the victim’s wife and family become the main characters and investigators. This can make dealing with the constant grief a little more difficult to take.

I did enjoy the story overall and appreciate the matters of faith that are dealt with throughout the book.  I especially found the ending of the book representative of a strong display of faith.