Captain's Log: Snowbound

K-Gr 3–Scallywag! Conny onny! Mutiny! Deliciously nautical vocabulary peppers Dionne and Ebbeler's delightful offering. An unnamed pint-size captain finds himself snowed-in on the day of his big report on Ernest Shackleton of Antarctic fame. Channeling Shackleton, the boy chronicles his marooned adventures via "captain's log," in which readers see the snowed-in family transition from happily snowbound to mutinous and back again with the thaw. In addition to the captain, there's Dad (Ship's Cook), mom (Photographer), the dog (First Mate), and the little brother (the hardtack-pilfering scallywag). Dionne strikes a good balance between narrative and informational text, lightly mirroring Shackleton's adventures with our own captain's, and provides an illuminating author's note, glossary, and brief recount of Shackleton's journey in the back matter, with two resource suggestions for independent exploration. Ebbeler's illustrations shine here, providing emotion, movement, and detail with additional narrative and informational tidbits for observant readers. Educators will find this a fun title to use in conjunction with explorer or winter lessons, while families are bound to enjoy for the humor and dynamic illustrations.