Pirates, Mess Detectives, and a Superhero By Karen Poth - Book Review

From the publisher: In this 3 in 1 bind-up of VeggieTales I Can Reads, Junior learns that even pirates have to go to school, the town of Bumblyburg takes an angry mud bath, and Larry forgets to listen … again! Young readers follow their favorite Veggie friends in easy-to-read stories that help teach early reading skills as well as sound morals and Bible-based life lessons. Books included in this title include:

• Pirate in Training
• LarryBoy and the Mudslingers
• Listen Up, Larry 

 Karen Poth's VeggieTales book, Pirates, Mess Detectives, and a Superhero is a fun collection of three I Can Read books rated Level 1 (Beginning Reading).  To get a true feel for the appropriateness of the entertainment and reading level, I drafted my two 1st Graders, Cami and Griffin.  We each took turns reading one of the stories.  Cami really enjoyed the Bible verse that accompanied each story, and was particularly entertained by Larry the Pirate.  Griffin thought it was cool that there was a lesson in each story.  They did a nice job reading; the word choice was just tough enough to force them to use their decoding skills, but not too tough where they were unprepared.

As a parent, I found the stories hitting my kids right in the sweet spot.  We enjoy VeggieTales and this book was a great way to practice reading skills with favorite characters.  I don't always agree with the rating put on different early reader books, but I found Pirates, Mess Detectives, and a Superhero to be right on the money.  In addition to the reading skills provided, I like the Biblical principles shared in each story as well.

Overall, this book is a great way for beginning readers to practice their skills, find some entertainment, and be exposed to valuable truths all at the same time.  I (and my kids) highly recommend this book.

I received a preview copy of this book from Zondervan in exchange for an honest review.