This presentation of the classic nonsense poem is not as good as pervious publications of it as a song. Previously, the song carried a fun tune, and the illustrations actually followed the story well. In this version, the illustrations follow the story in only the vaguest way. Using children as the crew, and the use of vibrant colors, would have worked well had the illustrations actually matched the text.

Sometimes newer approaches are just not better.

I'd never seen the poem before, so this was a first for me. The pictures are beautiful, and go along very well with the words...they are creative and up-to-date. Ex. For toasted pig, the captain eats a toasted hot dog, and for figs, fig newtons. I read the book to my 3rd grade students. They especially liked that the kids were playing the parts that would normally go to grown-ups. As one said about the book,"That's cool"! A good book to use when talking about the difference between real and make-believe, also a good jumping point to writing fantasy stories or poems.