Skippers at Cape Spear

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

This attractive picture book uses rollicking rhyme to describe how four
canine skippers find seven rodent elves adrift on a log and, upon
hearing their story, proceed in stormy seas to rescue Saint Nicholas
from feline Vikings. While attempting the rescue, they are captured by
the Vikings. The skippers remind the captain that Saint Nicholas is the
Viking patron saint and that he will still the storm should they release
him. However, it isn’t until the Viking captain is swept overboard and
saved by the skippers that he agrees to free Saint Nicholas, who then
calms the sea.

Caroline Stellings’s soft watercolor illustrations delightfully
portray Newfoundland’s foggy coast and the driving rain of the storm.
Her anthropomorphic animals with their fuzzy ears protruding from
sou’westers add interest to an already adventurous tale. (An afterword
notes that the skippers are appropriately based on a Flemish breed
called Schipperke, which means “little captain.”) Included in the
illustrations are smaller unrelated pictures of Newfoundland landmarks,
maps, and other things, along with pertinent historical details. These,
while authentically reproduced and interesting as trivia, unfortunately
do not add to the story, but may instead confuse readers and would be
better placed in the afterword. Despite this, the book will make a
charming addition to home and school libraries. Recommended.