Set your kids’ sails for an adventure with “Dragon and Captain,” the debut picture book from P.R. Allabach. It’s a rollicking celebration of summer days and unleashed imaginations that will especially delight readers ages 4–8. Like Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes comic strips, “Dragon and Captain” (Flashlight Press) is a graphic novel that moves between illustrations of real life and the active imaginations of the two boys who transform into the dragon and captain. Captain’s boat is missing and the lighthearted, kinetic illustrations by Lucas Turnbloom depict the two friends’ thrilling journey to find the ship and infiltrate a band of pirates in order to recapture it.
In the imaginations of Dragon and Captain, a pocket watch becomes a compass and a paper towel tube becomes a telescope. It’s a reminder that children don’t need lots of stuff to be entertained during their vacation days; they need unstructured time, imagination, and a friend.
“Dragon and Captain” book by P.R. Allabach, $17.95, www.barne
