Evaluation

I love how the pirate jargon is smoothly added into this book. The alligator and his crew yell “R” (as in the letter R) instead of “ARRRR!” I also loved how the illustrator incorporated the letters into the sand, the flag, the anchors and the water. In many ways this book reminded me of a typical "I Spy" book, where the student is forced to search for a specific letter/object. The pictures were nicely illustrated and the illustrations matched with what was being described in the book. My favorite part of this story is when the crew realizes they forgot the letter Z and soon after they find Z’s around their heads as the captain falls fast asleep.

This is also an excellent book to read to your preschoolers and kindergartners as they begin to recognize letters and learn the beginning letters/sounds of the alphabet. As a teacher, you may choose to create your own classroom set of alphabet cards that correspond with the pages in this book.