by Moe Zilla

Created on: February 26, 2010

"Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs Missing Treasure" is a book that seems to have everything. The book's title-page illustration set a lively tone. There's a faded sky-blue map with lines radiating from a compass, but there's also scattered dubloons decorated with a skull and crossbones. On the map there's a simple drawing of a sea serpent, a shark, and an island that's shaped like a skull. But there's also a jaunty sailing ship…everything but the pirate dinosaurs.

On the first page, the simple illustrations get an explanation. The book is about a boy named Flinn, whose room is decorated with home-made pictures of skulls - and of dinosaurs. He's excited because tomorrow he'll be visiting the museum. The book is like a fast-paced cartoon following excited jumps like a child's imagination.

The story is ultimately very simple - but it's also a lot of fun. At the museum the children discover an empty cabinet that used to hold the t reasure of a famous pirate. ("Captain Rufus Rumblebelly…")   They follow a trail of feathers that leads them to a trail of gold coins. The trail leads through a dark cupboard full of cobwebs, and dumps the children on the deck of a pirate ship. It's the ship of treasure-owner's grandson - a pirate named "Gordon Gurgleguts…"

But the story is made even more interesting by a series of complicated illustrations. Russell Ayto created complicated collages and jangly sketches with oversized heads and bodies. He uses lots of exotic colors, adding backgrounds that are orange, grey or yellow. And of course, when the children enter the web-filled closet, the background is a solid back.

Ultimately the book delivers quickly on its premise, in a fast-paced and light-hearted story. Captain Gurgleguts is a big, loud-mouthed simpleton, so he instantly makes Flinn his ship's captain. They set off to Bones Island in the fancy blue ship, and Ayto contributes a simple drawing of its tall jungle grasses. Into this picture, Ayto draws the word "Rooooaaarrrr!" because the book has finally reached its promised villains. In the clearing ahead, there's a pack of pirate dinosaurs!

And they're threatening to barbecue poor Captain Rumblebelly…

Flinn fights the pirate dinosaurs - who bring in their enormous cousin, the Giganotosaurus. But the big dinosaur is quickly frightened by the spider dangling from Flinn's hat, and the boy quickly rescues the treasure - and Captain Rumblebelly - before sailing back to the museum.

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