"Stuck in the Doldrums" by Carole P. Roman

This children's book has a pirate theme and teaches young ones valuable lessons.  While the title says the book focuses on sharing, there is really more to it than that.  Ideas such as cooperation, friendship, altruism, and kindness in the face of adversity are also covered.  I also thought it was cute that there was the title "a captain no-beard story" throughout.  The story will hold readers' attention, and the end is quite surprising.  Even though it is a children's book and not a suspense novel, I was pleasantly surprised to get to the last page of the story and read something I was not expecting.  The illustrations are lovely in this book, and they resemble vibrant watercolor artwork.  I also liked how the text pages had illustrations and graphic designs on them and were not just plain white (as some children's books are).  The font was also fun and appropriate for this pirate story.