Stinky Spike the Pirate Dog by Peter Meisel

Ill. by Paul Meisel. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781619637788
(Age: 6-8) Recommended. Dogs. Shipyards. Pirates. This fun story about a very smelly dog will delight young readers and would be a boon to have on Talk Like a Pirate Day or any Pirate Day that is occurring. Containing a very smelly but lovable dog, scary pirates and all sorts of treasure it is sure to become a favourite with newly independent readers and would also be good to read aloud to younger children.
Divided into three chapters, with a good size print for emerging readers, Stinky Spike the pirate dog gives the young reader a chance to move on from picture books and to begin to enjoy a book which has chapters and separate adventures. In Chapter 1, Shipyard Dog, readers will learn all about Stinky Spike and the shipyard where he frightens away sea gulls and yaps at rats, before disastrously falling into the water. In Chapter 2 Lost at sea, Stinky Spike bobs up and down in a barrel, surrounded by sharks and observed by a whale, until he is rescued by stinky pirates led by Captain Fishbeard. In Chapter 3 Sniffing for treasure, he uncovers lots of things that smell wonderful and are treasure to him, until he finds something else that is more acceptable as pirate treasure.
The water colour illustrations add enormously to the humour of the story. Stinky Spike is dressed in ragged sailor clothes and has such fun doing his job chasing the seagulls and rats. It is easy to imagine him and how much he smells just by looking at the pictures of where he has been!
This is an entertaining addition to the chapter book genre and will have fans wanting to read another book about this lovable dog: Stinky Spike and the royal rescue.
Pat Pledger