Captain Clementine: Secret of the Star

by Ginny Graham O'Donnell, Laura Brenlla (Illustrator), Cottage Door Press (Editor)

Overview

Meet Captain Clementine! She bravely sails the seas aboard her magical ship, the Star of the Sea, helping others in need with her trusty crew. But when a sneaky gull steals her starstone necklace — the source of her ship’s magic — she’s the one who needs help! Lucky for Clementine, a kind and clever mermaid named Flo makes a sparkling discovery! Even better, she has a plan to return the special stone back where it belongs. Can new friends help reunite Captain Clementine with her precious necklace and return magic to the Star? Adventure awaits!

• This hardcover, paper-page storybook is a timeless classic to enjoy reading over and over again.
• Easy-to-read text with a vibrant and beautiful picture on each page makes this a wonderful story for young readers to practice reading aloud
• This charming picture book is perfect for special reading time together as well as your story time rotation!
• Strong, brave, and kind, Clementine is the magical captain and princess who will capture the imagination and enchant the hearts of boys, girls, and grown-ups alike!
• Adventures of the sea await all those seeking a new captain and crew to fall in love with at bedtime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646388288
Publisher:	Cottage Door Press
Publication date:	08/15/2023
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.25(w) x 11.25(h) x (d)
Age Range:	3 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ginny Graham O'Donnell has made her children's books her life story. She is a "founding mother" and Editorial Director at Cottage Door Press, where her mission is to make books that inspire reading to your child from the day they're born. Having written dozens of board books for babies and toddlers (under a pen name), Captain Clementine is Ginny's first picture book. She says, "Captain Clementine tumbled out of my imagination with such spirit and determination, I am breathless trying to keep up with all of her stories! My stars! She has so many adventures she wants to tell you about!" Ginny lives in Chicago, Illinois.

Laura Brenlla was born to bring Captain Clementine to life! With an illustration style that captures the quirkiness of the crew and the spirit of the Star of the Sea, Laura made sure that every detail was captured for you to discover and enjoy. Laura lives in Madrid, Spain. When she isn't drawing or painting, she loves to restore furniture and explore the beautiful parks of her city.

Cottage Door Press is an independent publisher of high-quality children’s books. Our books are designed to spark curiosity in the littlest readers and fan the flames of lifelong learning. We understand children deserve our respect. That's why we always select artwork and stories that encourage caregivers to "read up" to their little ones––exploring interests together, learning together, and giving their young minds room to grow.

We also believe in creating stories that reflect the boundless possibilities of all children. We hope to create books that inspire little ones to connect, encourage them to dream, give them cause to celebrate, and allow them to see themselves beautifully reflected in the stories they read.

To bring these beautiful stories to life, our diverse and talented staff collaborates with authors and illustrators from all backgrounds and nationalities. We have also partnered with multicultural brands and literacy organizations to make sure our books reflect and reach as many little ones as possible.

Editorial Reviews

2023-05-09
A young seafarer receives underwater help.

Clementine, a princess-turned-captain with years of training at the Royal Barnacle Academy under her belt, sets sail aboard her magical ship, the Star of the Sea; her crew comprises various animals. Clementine wears a necklace, a “starstone” that represents stars’ importance in her career and as navigational aids. She’s distraught when a gull steals it. When the bird later drops it, it sinks to the ocean’s bottom, where it’s found by three mer-kids; their wise GrandMer explains its significance to the ship—now sitting listlessly in the waves above—and to the rightful owner. Flo, the eldest mer-sister, invents an ingenious device to return the bauble. Meanwhile, the hapless vessel has magically provided Clementine with a secret map to guide her to her treasure. Together, these forces bring about a happy ending. Unhappily, this isn’t a credible, well-plotted, or well-written story. Its amateurish prose includes trite, cloying expressions such as “my stars” and “Oh my dearie-dear.” Additionally, it’s sometimes unclear from the illustrations who’s being referenced when some crew members are named in the text; a final page identifying Clementine’s “worthy crew” helps. Commendably, this tale is female-centric; even the ship is female and sentient. The colorful, cartoonish illustrations are lively. Clementine, with brown, wavy hair, brown skin, and large, green eyes, seems to be a child; Flo is light-skinned. Human and mermaid characters are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

No secret here: This ship doesn’t sail. (captain’s log, “are mermaids real?”) (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews