After canine pirates capture Fluffy and his yacht, things look grim for the elegant poodle. Surrounded by a crew of scurvy sea dogs, he adopts the initially unconvincing persona, "Fluffy the Scourge of the Sea." He soon defeats the pirate captain in a series of challenges: fencing lessons come in handy during a sword fight, gourmet beats gruel in a cooking contest, and a song of hope turns the crew away from piratical thoughts. As silly as a four-year-old could wish for, but witty and well made too, the rhymed couplets flow easily as the likable hero bounds from triumph to triumph, each absurd and unlikely yet seemingly inevitable in the dogs' cartoonlike world. Chesworth's watercolor-and-colored-pencil artwork offers plenty of amusing details as well as well-composed, energetic, entertaining scenes that meld the drama with plenty of comedy.

While out yachting, Fluffy, a dapper poodle, is caught by canine pirates. As they begin to taunt him for his foppish clothes and his name, he resourcefully declares that he is the boldest and most powerful pirate, "the scourge of the sea." The skeptical captain challenges the newcomer to a duel, which Fluffy wins handily. He then goes on to outsing, outcook, and outthink the buccaneer captain, resulting in the crew putting him out to sea and declaring Fluffy their new leader. After the poodle teaches the dogs that being cute will reward them more than plundering, they clean up the ship and themselves and become hugely successful and endearing pooches. The bouncing rhyming text is perfectly matched by the watercolor art. Using plenty of white space, the contrast of scurvy crew and the dandyish poodle will tickle young readers. Yo ho ho for Fluffy!

Here's a fun book for children about a poodle who fights pirates. The Tacoma, Wash., author and Amherst, Mass., artist have come up with an original in both content and look. Any child age 6 and older will insist you buy them this book once they get a look at it. You won't resist because you'll want the book, too. The only thing more fun than Chesworth's expressive paintings is Bateman's beautifully free verse.