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De kleine kapitein #1
De kleine kapitein
De kleine kapitein woonde boven op het duin. Niet in een huis, niet in een hut, maar in een boot. De huilende storm, die golven als torenflats had opgeblazen, had de boot zo uit zee boven op de top gekwakt. En daar lag hij, muurvast. Wie erin gevaren hadden, wist niemand. Er was alleen een jongetje uit de kajuit te voorschijn gekropen, een klein jongetje met een grote pet op.
127 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
23 people are currently reading
906 people want to read
About the author
Paul Biegel
119 books37 followersPaul Biegel was born in Bussum in 1925. His father, Hermann Biegel, was of German descent, and owned a building materials shop. With his wife Madeleine Povel-Guillot he had nine children, six girls and three boys, of which Paul was the youngest. He wasn't a prolific reader as a child, preferring to play outside. His favourite books where the fairy tales of the brothers Grimm and the works of Jules Verne. He studied in Bussum (primary school) and Amsterdam, graduating in 1945.
His first story, De ontevreden kabouter ("The unhappy gnome"), written when he was 14 years old, was printed in the newspaper De Tijd. He wanted to become a pianist, but decided that he didn't have enough talent. He went to the United States for a year after World War II, where he worked for The Knickerbocker Weekly. After his return, he worked as an editor for Dutch magazines like the Avrobode. He commenced Law Studies, but stopped these in 1953. He wrote several newspaper comics, the most important of which was Minter and Hinter, which appeared in Het Vrije Volk for ten stories and 579 episodes. In 1959, he started working in the comic studio of Marten Toonder as a comics writer for the Kappie series.
He only published his first book, De gouden gitaar, in 1962. He became one of the most important Dutch writers for children in 1965, when he received the Gouden Griffel for Het sleutelkruid. He has written over 50 books, mostly published by Holland, and many of his books have been translated in English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Welsh, South African, Japanese, Turkish, Greek, and Spanish. His own favourites were De tuinen van Dorr and De soldatenmaker. Other authors he appreciated included J. R. R. Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, and Hans Christian Andersen.
Paul Biegel lived in Amsterdam. He married Marijke Sträter in 1960, with whom he had a daughter, Leonie, in 1963, and in 1964 a son, Arthur, who committed suicide when he was 28. His marriage ultimately failed, and only at a later age did he publicly admit to being homosexual. He died in 2006. In 2007, publishers Holland (publisher) and Lemniscaat started reissuing twenty of his best works in the Biegelbibliotheek.
His first story, De ontevreden kabouter ("The unhappy gnome"), written when he was 14 years old, was printed in the newspaper De Tijd. He wanted to become a pianist, but decided that he didn't have enough talent. He went to the United States for a year after World War II, where he worked for The Knickerbocker Weekly. After his return, he worked as an editor for Dutch magazines like the Avrobode. He commenced Law Studies, but stopped these in 1953. He wrote several newspaper comics, the most important of which was Minter and Hinter, which appeared in Het Vrije Volk for ten stories and 579 episodes. In 1959, he started working in the comic studio of Marten Toonder as a comics writer for the Kappie series.
He only published his first book, De gouden gitaar, in 1962. He became one of the most important Dutch writers for children in 1965, when he received the Gouden Griffel for Het sleutelkruid. He has written over 50 books, mostly published by Holland, and many of his books have been translated in English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Welsh, South African, Japanese, Turkish, Greek, and Spanish. His own favourites were De tuinen van Dorr and De soldatenmaker. Other authors he appreciated included J. R. R. Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, and Hans Christian Andersen.
Paul Biegel lived in Amsterdam. He married Marijke Sträter in 1960, with whom he had a daughter, Leonie, in 1963, and in 1964 a son, Arthur, who committed suicide when he was 28. His marriage ultimately failed, and only at a later age did he publicly admit to being homosexual. He died in 2006. In 2007, publishers Holland (publisher) and Lemniscaat started reissuing twenty of his best works in the Biegelbibliotheek.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
February 25, 2017
Sweet book from my childhood, I loved Paul Biegel's books!
November 5, 2023
This is one of the earliest chapter books I can remember reading (in an Afrikaans translation) myself. I re-read it at least annually if not more times while in primary school. I loved the stories of the Little Captain and his crew of Podgy, Marinka and Timid Thomas who sail across fantastic seas and have all kinds of adventures while finding the missing crew members of an old sea captain. This Pushkin edition contains all three the original books: The Little Captain, The Little Captain and the Seven Towers, The Little Captain and the Pirate Treasure. I had so much fun reading these again.
May 18, 2022
For starters, I love reading children's books and 'The Little Captain' by Paul Biegel was an absolute delight of a read. When I started reading I didn't know that this book was originally written in Dutch and later translated into English by Patricia Crampton.
This illustrated children's book follows the adventures of the Little Captain, sailing in his ship called the Neversink. The Neversink gets stuck in the sand due to a storm and only sets sail when a wave frees it. The Little Captain wants to find the island of Evertaller with his crew, a magical place where children can grow up overnight and turn into adults.
This is one of the best children's fantasy I've read in a while and I wish I could make every child read this one. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.
This illustrated children's book follows the adventures of the Little Captain, sailing in his ship called the Neversink. The Neversink gets stuck in the sand due to a storm and only sets sail when a wave frees it. The Little Captain wants to find the island of Evertaller with his crew, a magical place where children can grow up overnight and turn into adults.
This is one of the best children's fantasy I've read in a while and I wish I could make every child read this one. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.
October 16, 2025
Het favoriete boek in mijn jeugdjaren. Ik ga het een keer herlezen.
February 5, 2018
Avonturenverhaal over de nogal enigmatische Kleine kapitein die met zijn even tweedimensionale vriendjes allerlei avonturen op zee beleeft. Het boek heeft zeker sfeer, maar meer dan "zomaar wat avonturen" is het niet. Beetje matig.
September 16, 2021
2015: yay finished reading it to my kids.
November 9, 2024
2022: voorgelezen aan de oudste. ❤
2024: voorgelezen aan de jongste + oudste. Nog net zo leuk als toen ik zelf klein was.
2024: voorgelezen aan de jongste + oudste. Nog net zo leuk als toen ik zelf klein was.
July 22, 2022
4,5 sterren - Nederlandse linnen hardcover
Er zijn verhalen die onverwoestbaar zijn. Ooit zal ik deze uit de schoolbibliotheek hebben gelezen. Maar ik heb heb ook in bezit. Zo een oude linnen hardcover. Een beetje gelig maar zeker nog goed leesbaar.
Want zodra voorlezen aan eigen kinderen kon en de leeftijd enigszins passend was werd de kapitein met groot enthousiasme opgepakt. Daar moesten ze mee kennismaken. Nu wacht ik gespannen op het moment dat ik het de kleinkinderen kan voorlezen.
De kleine kapitein met bange Toontje, dikke Druif en Marinka, op weg met de Nooitlek naar het eiland Groot en Groei.
Ik blijf genieten van alle personages, avonturen, versjes en vooral ook van de prachtige illustraties in zwartwit èn kleur van Carl Hollander.
Wie Bange Toontje, Dikke Druif, Kromme Arie of Dappere Marinka niet kent, mist geweldige verhalen vindt ik.
Terug naar de schoolbibliotheek van toen: iedere dag kreeg ik boeken mee naar huis. Behalve op donderdag, dan mocht er op vrijdag een extra stapel voor het weekend mee.
Een de meester die goud waard was. Het voorlezen op vrijdagmiddag: ik zie hem nog staan, hij vol vuur, muisstil de rest, Lindgren, Dragt, Biegel en meer. En natuurlijk bij goed gedrag van de klas aan het eind van de dag ook een 20 min. Waren wij muisstil als het boek spannend was!
Het is zeker en favoriet voorleesboek voor onvergetelijke momenten. Neem het mee uit de boekhandel of de bieb, geef het cadeau! Mijn linnen hardcover van toen geef ik niet uit handen! Dat is voor mij een schat.
En weet wat Groot en Groei en de Nooitlek zijn. Heerlijke avonturen om voor te lezen en te horen. Of zelf te lezen. Alles is mogelijk. Schip Ahoy, kleine kapitein!
Er zijn verhalen die onverwoestbaar zijn. Ooit zal ik deze uit de schoolbibliotheek hebben gelezen. Maar ik heb heb ook in bezit. Zo een oude linnen hardcover. Een beetje gelig maar zeker nog goed leesbaar.
Want zodra voorlezen aan eigen kinderen kon en de leeftijd enigszins passend was werd de kapitein met groot enthousiasme opgepakt. Daar moesten ze mee kennismaken. Nu wacht ik gespannen op het moment dat ik het de kleinkinderen kan voorlezen.
De kleine kapitein met bange Toontje, dikke Druif en Marinka, op weg met de Nooitlek naar het eiland Groot en Groei.
Ik blijf genieten van alle personages, avonturen, versjes en vooral ook van de prachtige illustraties in zwartwit èn kleur van Carl Hollander.
Wie Bange Toontje, Dikke Druif, Kromme Arie of Dappere Marinka niet kent, mist geweldige verhalen vindt ik.
Terug naar de schoolbibliotheek van toen: iedere dag kreeg ik boeken mee naar huis. Behalve op donderdag, dan mocht er op vrijdag een extra stapel voor het weekend mee.
Een de meester die goud waard was. Het voorlezen op vrijdagmiddag: ik zie hem nog staan, hij vol vuur, muisstil de rest, Lindgren, Dragt, Biegel en meer. En natuurlijk bij goed gedrag van de klas aan het eind van de dag ook een 20 min. Waren wij muisstil als het boek spannend was!
Het is zeker en favoriet voorleesboek voor onvergetelijke momenten. Neem het mee uit de boekhandel of de bieb, geef het cadeau! Mijn linnen hardcover van toen geef ik niet uit handen! Dat is voor mij een schat.
En weet wat Groot en Groei en de Nooitlek zijn. Heerlijke avonturen om voor te lezen en te horen. Of zelf te lezen. Alles is mogelijk. Schip Ahoy, kleine kapitein!
May 12, 2022
The Little Captain was written by an author who was born in the Netherlands. This book’s introduction states that the author wrote stories about dwarves, princesses, witches, robbers and talking animals. This title, form 1970 was the author’s best known work. Now it is available for a new generation of children.
This book seems like an ideal one for bedtime reading with a young child who enjoys chapter books or for a slightly older child to enjoy on their own. The Little Captain at first reminded me of the Little Prince. There he was, alone on his boat, but self-sufficient. What will happen as he gets to know the people in the town where he has come to be? Where will he go from here? Who will go with him? Turn the pages to find out.
The text is accompanied by evocative drawings. They greatly add to the pleasure in these pages. There are three stories included in this volume of adventure and imagination.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Children’s Books
This book seems like an ideal one for bedtime reading with a young child who enjoys chapter books or for a slightly older child to enjoy on their own. The Little Captain at first reminded me of the Little Prince. There he was, alone on his boat, but self-sufficient. What will happen as he gets to know the people in the town where he has come to be? Where will he go from here? Who will go with him? Turn the pages to find out.
The text is accompanied by evocative drawings. They greatly add to the pleasure in these pages. There are three stories included in this volume of adventure and imagination.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Children’s Books
September 21, 2025
als kind vond ik dit een prachtig boek. In het boek brieven aan Milo las ik dat deze serie gelezen kan worden als een omgekeerde Odyssee. Dat was voor mij een reden om het boek te herlezen.
Wat ik knap vind, is dat het verhaal inderdaad elementen bevat van de Odyssee, maar dat ze wel heel subtiel verwerkt zijn.
Wat ik knap vind, is dat het verhaal inderdaad elementen bevat van de Odyssee, maar dat ze wel heel subtiel verwerkt zijn.
November 3, 2022
Waarom heb ik dit boek niet voorgelezen aan mijn andere kinderen? Gelukkig bij kind nummer 4 toch gedaan en genoten. Spannend maar niet te spannend om te kunnen ervaren dat je spannende boeken onverwachts toch aan kunt! In de vakantie 's ochtends in bed 8 hoofdstukken voorlezen aan een stuk waarna mijn stem echt het begeeft en we dat allebei jammer vinden. Dat zegt genoeg! Gelukkig is er een deel 2. Die ligt klaar op zolder voor pakjesavond. Ik kijk nu al uit naar het gezicht van zoonlief als hij het uitpakt.
February 27, 2022
Jeugdsentiment!
March 8, 2025
Mijn basisschooljuf van groep 5 las dit boek voor en als kind vond ik het toen matig. Nu ik het boek opnieuw gelezen heb, snap ik dat wel. Ik vond ook nu de verhaallijn te onrealistisch, zelfs voor een fantasieboek. Maar het taalgebruik is heel mooi, daarom toch 4 sterren.
November 5, 2021
Blijft leuk
June 13, 2023
Finished reading: May 12th 2022
"They went to have a look around, because before you go to sleep on an uninhabited island, you ought to find out if it really is uninhabited."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Pushkin Children's Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
August 28, 2021
Dit boek is fantastisch en helemaal niet verouderd, ondanks dat het al decennia geleden voor het eerst is verschenen (begin jaren '70 dacht ik). Deze zomer voorgelezen en daar erg van genoten!
January 12, 2018
a sweetly subversive romp, with wonderful illustrations by Carl Hollander
July 29, 2022
My thanks to Pushkin Press and Edelweiss for a review copy of this book.
I have been enjoying exploring Pushkin Press’s vast and interesting list of translated literature from different parts of the globe, and from its children’s catalogue have found especially fun titles from Dutch children’s fiction. I’ve read and loved titles by Tonke Dragt, and earlier this year read my first one by author Paul Biegel, The King of the Copper Mountain which was a great deal of fun, and so when this book by Biegel turned up, I of course picked it up.
This edition of The Little Captain is actually three books, The Little Captain (1971), The Little Captain and the Seven Towers (1973), and The Little Captain and the Pirate Treasure (1980) in one. These are stories of seafaring adventure alright, but with a difference for the Neversink aboard which we sail is captained by a child, the Little Captain of the title (he never has a name), and all its crew are children too!
As our story opens, we find the Little Captain living in his boat on top of the dunes where he has been washed ashore and his boat wrecked. He refuses to leave it however, and when the shipwrecked sailor, Salty asks him what he wishes to do, he informs him that he wants to repair the boat, and sail to the island of Evertaller where people are rumoured to grow overnight, for in the real world, it takes too long to grow. Thrilled by the prospect that one could grow up overnight and not have to go to school anymore, children from the village help him repair the boat—building a new engine, propeller and other things from bits and pieces they find on the streets (a bathtub and kettle among them) and also coins they collect from the Little Captain playing his trumpet. All the children are fetched back by their angry parents, but when the Little Captain is ready to set sail and plays his trumpet, Marinka and Podgy Plum, two of the children come aboard, and also present is Timid Thomas who appears on board all of a sudden, but is terrified of actually sailing. But sail he must, and with Podgy firing the engine, Marinka making pancakes for everyone to eat, Thomas swabbing the decks and the Little Captain leading, they set off.
But what starts off as a quest to grow up overnight turns into a much bigger adventure as they sail to different lands, locating Salty’s old shipmates (for he’s remarked without specifying, ‘Perhaps you will bring them all back with you’) who’ve been stranded at different places. In the process, the meet a set of circus animals whose ship was wrecked too, go to a volcanic island, encounter the dangerous Father Bluecrab and his daughters, a magician, and even a ghost ship. The search for Salty’s shipmates is spread over the first two books, with the Little Captain and his crew being taken from adventure to adventure without necessarily seeking it, while the third book covers a second journey made to return seven treasure chests to their rightful owner.
With a bit of magic but lots of adventure, in The Little Captain, we travel to interesting lands, face challenges and dangers, but also have a lot of fun. Beigel creates plenty of imaginative places and fun adventures for our characters to be on, and makes it perfectly believable that the Neversink has only children for its Captain and crew, who function perfectly well in the wide world, with perhaps only a slight expression of surprise by those they encounter that they are only small kids. The world he creates is a combination of magic, imagination, and the real world for while they may be Father Bluecrab and his daughters with their deadly song or a magician in the Land of Nonsense and Knowledge who sets them gruelling tasks, there is also the equator where the children lose their shadows, the icy north, and the mystical and exotic east.
Having recently joined in for #Narniathon21 over the past few months, it was hard not to see the parallels while reading this book. For somewhat like the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, we have our adventurers travelling to different lands aboard their ship, facing different challenges, locating missing sailors, and putting things to rights while they are at it. Also, like the Horse and His Boy, the east to which they travel has those same exotic ‘Arabian Nights’ elements coming through in its illustrations like in that book. The third of The Little Captain’s adventures has a similar quest format.
And reflecting not only Narnia, but also broader literary trends, the number 7 has a role to play here as well, with Salty and his shipmates numbering 7 in all, the magician in the Land of Nonsense and Knowledge tasking them with 7 hard labours taking them to 7 towers, and the treasure chests to be returned to their owners in the last adventure again numbering 7.
The characters too were interesting creations. The Little Captain has definite shades of Peter Pan, but unlike Peter who doesn’t want to grow up, he does; he is more or less a free spirit, acting much on his own and not looking for safety or security, and with a strong sense of right and of duty. Marinka also stands out in the book for while on the one side, she takes on the stereotypical role of making the pancakes for everyone, she is also brave volunteering for tasks and climbing as high and fast as the others, and also giving Timid Thomas a piece of her mind much of the time. Podgy is jolly and a hard worker keeping the ship, going while Thomas simply quivers (well, he does swab the deck too)!
These were really enjoyable stories with lots of fun elements, of which I especially liked the adventure of the Pirate’s Treasure (the third book). But I can see that had I read these as a child, I would have had especial fun with all the adventures and the different lands they travel to. But even now, a wonderful read!
I have been enjoying exploring Pushkin Press’s vast and interesting list of translated literature from different parts of the globe, and from its children’s catalogue have found especially fun titles from Dutch children’s fiction. I’ve read and loved titles by Tonke Dragt, and earlier this year read my first one by author Paul Biegel, The King of the Copper Mountain which was a great deal of fun, and so when this book by Biegel turned up, I of course picked it up.
This edition of The Little Captain is actually three books, The Little Captain (1971), The Little Captain and the Seven Towers (1973), and The Little Captain and the Pirate Treasure (1980) in one. These are stories of seafaring adventure alright, but with a difference for the Neversink aboard which we sail is captained by a child, the Little Captain of the title (he never has a name), and all its crew are children too!
As our story opens, we find the Little Captain living in his boat on top of the dunes where he has been washed ashore and his boat wrecked. He refuses to leave it however, and when the shipwrecked sailor, Salty asks him what he wishes to do, he informs him that he wants to repair the boat, and sail to the island of Evertaller where people are rumoured to grow overnight, for in the real world, it takes too long to grow. Thrilled by the prospect that one could grow up overnight and not have to go to school anymore, children from the village help him repair the boat—building a new engine, propeller and other things from bits and pieces they find on the streets (a bathtub and kettle among them) and also coins they collect from the Little Captain playing his trumpet. All the children are fetched back by their angry parents, but when the Little Captain is ready to set sail and plays his trumpet, Marinka and Podgy Plum, two of the children come aboard, and also present is Timid Thomas who appears on board all of a sudden, but is terrified of actually sailing. But sail he must, and with Podgy firing the engine, Marinka making pancakes for everyone to eat, Thomas swabbing the decks and the Little Captain leading, they set off.
But what starts off as a quest to grow up overnight turns into a much bigger adventure as they sail to different lands, locating Salty’s old shipmates (for he’s remarked without specifying, ‘Perhaps you will bring them all back with you’) who’ve been stranded at different places. In the process, the meet a set of circus animals whose ship was wrecked too, go to a volcanic island, encounter the dangerous Father Bluecrab and his daughters, a magician, and even a ghost ship. The search for Salty’s shipmates is spread over the first two books, with the Little Captain and his crew being taken from adventure to adventure without necessarily seeking it, while the third book covers a second journey made to return seven treasure chests to their rightful owner.
With a bit of magic but lots of adventure, in The Little Captain, we travel to interesting lands, face challenges and dangers, but also have a lot of fun. Beigel creates plenty of imaginative places and fun adventures for our characters to be on, and makes it perfectly believable that the Neversink has only children for its Captain and crew, who function perfectly well in the wide world, with perhaps only a slight expression of surprise by those they encounter that they are only small kids. The world he creates is a combination of magic, imagination, and the real world for while they may be Father Bluecrab and his daughters with their deadly song or a magician in the Land of Nonsense and Knowledge who sets them gruelling tasks, there is also the equator where the children lose their shadows, the icy north, and the mystical and exotic east.
Having recently joined in for #Narniathon21 over the past few months, it was hard not to see the parallels while reading this book. For somewhat like the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, we have our adventurers travelling to different lands aboard their ship, facing different challenges, locating missing sailors, and putting things to rights while they are at it. Also, like the Horse and His Boy, the east to which they travel has those same exotic ‘Arabian Nights’ elements coming through in its illustrations like in that book. The third of The Little Captain’s adventures has a similar quest format.
And reflecting not only Narnia, but also broader literary trends, the number 7 has a role to play here as well, with Salty and his shipmates numbering 7 in all, the magician in the Land of Nonsense and Knowledge tasking them with 7 hard labours taking them to 7 towers, and the treasure chests to be returned to their owners in the last adventure again numbering 7.
The characters too were interesting creations. The Little Captain has definite shades of Peter Pan, but unlike Peter who doesn’t want to grow up, he does; he is more or less a free spirit, acting much on his own and not looking for safety or security, and with a strong sense of right and of duty. Marinka also stands out in the book for while on the one side, she takes on the stereotypical role of making the pancakes for everyone, she is also brave volunteering for tasks and climbing as high and fast as the others, and also giving Timid Thomas a piece of her mind much of the time. Podgy is jolly and a hard worker keeping the ship, going while Thomas simply quivers (well, he does swab the deck too)!
These were really enjoyable stories with lots of fun elements, of which I especially liked the adventure of the Pirate’s Treasure (the third book). But I can see that had I read these as a child, I would have had especial fun with all the adventures and the different lands they travel to. But even now, a wonderful read!
April 14, 2007
Title translation: The little captain.
Its a book about a boy who lives in a boat stranded near the beach. The boat is upside down. This boy doesnt speak much. He stairs at the sea into the distance dreaming of traveling over the sea.
One day the boy is able to have a boat. That boat had to be repaired first. But in the end the boat was ready.
On that boat the boy takes some friends with him. This on a journey to strange new worlds and habbits and cultures.
It makes you learn about cultural differences. And it doesnt matter how "weird" that culture is in your own eyes. It teaches you how to deal with all these differences.
Very well written.
Its a book about a boy who lives in a boat stranded near the beach. The boat is upside down. This boy doesnt speak much. He stairs at the sea into the distance dreaming of traveling over the sea.
One day the boy is able to have a boat. That boat had to be repaired first. But in the end the boat was ready.
On that boat the boy takes some friends with him. This on a journey to strange new worlds and habbits and cultures.
It makes you learn about cultural differences. And it doesnt matter how "weird" that culture is in your own eyes. It teaches you how to deal with all these differences.
Very well written.
August 29, 2014
Een van de favorieten uit mijn jeugd. Jammer genoeg had ik toen alleen het eerste deel in de kast staan.
Nu is het een favoriet voorleesboek voor jongere familieleden. Door de episodische aspect van de avonturen is het daar ook uitermate geschikt voor. De verhalen zijn grappig, maar ook spannend, wat altijd de vraag naar toch nog een hoofdstuk oproept.
Doordat de avonturen in een niet gespecificeerd verleden plaatsvinden, voelen ze zeer tijdloos. Op een paar puntjes misschien toch wat gedateerd: waarom moet Marinka degene zijn die de bemanning van pannenkoeken voorziet?
Nu is het een favoriet voorleesboek voor jongere familieleden. Door de episodische aspect van de avonturen is het daar ook uitermate geschikt voor. De verhalen zijn grappig, maar ook spannend, wat altijd de vraag naar toch nog een hoofdstuk oproept.
Doordat de avonturen in een niet gespecificeerd verleden plaatsvinden, voelen ze zeer tijdloos. Op een paar puntjes misschien toch wat gedateerd: waarom moet Marinka degene zijn die de bemanning van pannenkoeken voorziet?
August 3, 2015
Kinder fantasie ten top. Ik heb dit boek zelf graag gelezen maar ook mijn kinderen genoten van het voorlezen verkleed als kapitein en matroos. Natuurlijk met bijpassende proviand, in een zelfgemaakte knapzak natuurlijk. Nederland heeft niet altijd mooi weer. Met dit prachtige boek en een beetje fantasie kun je naar onbekende eilanden zeilen/stomen.
March 31, 2013
Çocukluğuma dair hatırladığım ilk "hayat değiştirici" kitap. Şimdi 36 yaşındayım ve amatör denizci belgem var. Yakın bir gelecekte de teknem olacak. Hepsi bu kitabın yüzünden.
March 28, 2015
Klassieke verteller. Schitterende taal, lees eens wat hij doet met werkwoorden, bijwoorden en bijvoegelijke naamwoorden. Om steeds naar terug te keren, zeker wanneer je ziek in bed ligt.
October 31, 2015
Een heerlijk voorleesboek of een boek voor de betere lezer. De fantasie spreekt mij aan en ik zou het leuk vinden als er een film van zou zijn.
Read
November 23, 2015ik vond het geweldig
December 20, 2015
Good book for children. My son loved it.
August 15, 2016
It was good
May 6, 2017
Voorgelezen
November 11, 2023
So good & fun!
“It was true: the spell didn’t last and they were children once again.” P.46
“They didn’t feel at all like going to school again. They had had an adventure, but who would believe them? They weren’t grown up after all.” P.46
“Every day I’ve made them do their tricks. I was afraid they’d turned wild again, if I didn’t exercise them.” P.75
“The sound rang through the shell chamber and ripped the lullaby to shreds. The cradle-song became a shriek, all fifteen of Bluecrab’s daughters yelled at once and fled from the hall.” P.152
“No pirates, appeared. No wreckers or sneak-thieves, either. No one, the whole dark night long.
The Neversink lay sadly stuck on the sandbank. “Nice, eh.Thomas?” said Marinka. ‘At least you’re not sea-sick.’
With terrible slowness the starry sky, like black glass pierced with pin-pricks, edged onwards high above their heads. At last morning broke and the sun vanished the clouds.” P.172
“You’re supposed to laze! Until you’re nothing but a lolling lummock!”
‘Don’t bellow like that!’ Marinka shouted back angrily. ‘You’re waking us up.’
After five days it was no longer a joke.
After seven days their backs were curved like bananas.” P.189
“With a roar Scurvyboots had him by the throat and was hauling him into the open like a struggling rabbit. ‘Help!’ cried Timid Thomas. ‘You’re treating my shirt.’
‘What don’t want me to do, skinnymalink? Want me to hang you from a tree, what?’
‘No, no!’ Screeched Thomas. ‘You’re an honest gentleman. And that’s not treasure. That’s not gold. That is...that is...’
‘Well?’
‘It’s chocolate pretend money, of course,’ said Marinka. ‘And the beads must be painted rabbit droppings, aren’t they, mister?’ she asked Scurvyboots sweetly.” P.220-221
“Timid Thomas’s moans melted in the moaning of the wind. Timid Thomas was poor Thomas now, doomed to sail for ever across the seven seas of the world, clamped by magic to the helm of the pirate’s enchanted ship.” P.230
“The Little Captain was forced to drink. He got a white mustache and a white beard from the foam and the black beer made him feel dizzy and giddy.
‘Cheers! They cried. ‘Can you play cards?’
But the Little Captain could no longer tell the difference between the five of hearts and the ace of clubs. They danced before his eyes, he slumped against the table, his cap askew over his nose, and with loud yawn, he fell asleep, snoring like a real, big, old sea captain.” P.301
“So dangerous, that it is not shown on any map. When there is a storm there, and there is a storm about three times a day, you get slam, bang and bubble waves, which smash your ship to smithereens before you can count up to thirteen and suck it to the bottom.” P.306
“The world is so big, so big. There is more sea than land in the world. The sea is blue, or gray, but far, far to the north sea is green. White blocks of ice float in it, as big as mountains, and it is dangerous to sail between them in a boat.” P.326
“It was true: the spell didn’t last and they were children once again.” P.46
“They didn’t feel at all like going to school again. They had had an adventure, but who would believe them? They weren’t grown up after all.” P.46
“Every day I’ve made them do their tricks. I was afraid they’d turned wild again, if I didn’t exercise them.” P.75
“The sound rang through the shell chamber and ripped the lullaby to shreds. The cradle-song became a shriek, all fifteen of Bluecrab’s daughters yelled at once and fled from the hall.” P.152
“No pirates, appeared. No wreckers or sneak-thieves, either. No one, the whole dark night long.
The Neversink lay sadly stuck on the sandbank. “Nice, eh.Thomas?” said Marinka. ‘At least you’re not sea-sick.’
With terrible slowness the starry sky, like black glass pierced with pin-pricks, edged onwards high above their heads. At last morning broke and the sun vanished the clouds.” P.172
“You’re supposed to laze! Until you’re nothing but a lolling lummock!”
‘Don’t bellow like that!’ Marinka shouted back angrily. ‘You’re waking us up.’
After five days it was no longer a joke.
After seven days their backs were curved like bananas.” P.189
“With a roar Scurvyboots had him by the throat and was hauling him into the open like a struggling rabbit. ‘Help!’ cried Timid Thomas. ‘You’re treating my shirt.’
‘What don’t want me to do, skinnymalink? Want me to hang you from a tree, what?’
‘No, no!’ Screeched Thomas. ‘You’re an honest gentleman. And that’s not treasure. That’s not gold. That is...that is...’
‘Well?’
‘It’s chocolate pretend money, of course,’ said Marinka. ‘And the beads must be painted rabbit droppings, aren’t they, mister?’ she asked Scurvyboots sweetly.” P.220-221
“Timid Thomas’s moans melted in the moaning of the wind. Timid Thomas was poor Thomas now, doomed to sail for ever across the seven seas of the world, clamped by magic to the helm of the pirate’s enchanted ship.” P.230
“The Little Captain was forced to drink. He got a white mustache and a white beard from the foam and the black beer made him feel dizzy and giddy.
‘Cheers! They cried. ‘Can you play cards?’
But the Little Captain could no longer tell the difference between the five of hearts and the ace of clubs. They danced before his eyes, he slumped against the table, his cap askew over his nose, and with loud yawn, he fell asleep, snoring like a real, big, old sea captain.” P.301
“So dangerous, that it is not shown on any map. When there is a storm there, and there is a storm about three times a day, you get slam, bang and bubble waves, which smash your ship to smithereens before you can count up to thirteen and suck it to the bottom.” P.306
“The world is so big, so big. There is more sea than land in the world. The sea is blue, or gray, but far, far to the north sea is green. White blocks of ice float in it, as big as mountains, and it is dangerous to sail between them in a boat.” P.326
August 31, 2022
Commendably lively, this fantasy adventure for the older primary school pupil is full of brio and pancakes. The book itself is all three parts of the adventures of The Little Captain, having come out (both in the original Dutch and in English, once upon a time) in separate editions. In the first we see right from the off the book wants to do a lot that is traditional and recognisable with the format of bonkers juvenile stories, and a lot that is new too.
One traditional aspect would be the ‘devil may care, let’s blow the adults and have an adventure ourselves!!’ idea, but the Little Captain himself is such a thin character you don’t get to have enough love for the independent-minded, free-spirited scallywag he should have been. All he does is stand in his unique way, and know too much, and be too clever when his lot demands it. His random-seeming crew mates are a bit more fun, but there’s no gang, none of the Swallows and Amazons spirit that other books where Children Are In Charge can show.
More successfully wrought is the old-fashioned format, with both the first two original books easily split into three chunks, and combining to make one classical-minded quest. And with talk of the classics themselves here we see sirens, and the person forever stuck with the one task until someone is willing (or daft, or accident-prone) enough to replace him. But there is also the wacky, quirky fantasy of other chunks, such as a parade of lessons delivered for very little reason in a host of ominous towers. Meeting in the middle, between the ancient and the modern, ‘you can do what you want with a plot – it’s a fantasy’ approach, you get the first chunk itself, using a very Gulliveresque manipulation of sizes.
Anyway, the plots – in the first, the Little Captain and his crew conspire to find that a host of friends-of-a-friend are out there in the wild, missing – and in the third, a globe-trotting attempt to rehome some pirate treasure – all show the characters to be well-intentioned, and the whole has a kind of old-school charm as a result. The illustrations are strong in giving off the same feel, too. I just felt the whole was a little too tidy, with too great a swing between what is practically Greek myth rewritten and what is the bonkers and oddball, and the skiplet himself just a little too standoffish, and not relying on pluck, or spunk as it used to be able to be called. So as lively and engaging as it can get it didn’t feel the complete success it might have been. A slightly generous four stars, for it is better than the middle-of-the-range, but not by that far.
One traditional aspect would be the ‘devil may care, let’s blow the adults and have an adventure ourselves!!’ idea, but the Little Captain himself is such a thin character you don’t get to have enough love for the independent-minded, free-spirited scallywag he should have been. All he does is stand in his unique way, and know too much, and be too clever when his lot demands it. His random-seeming crew mates are a bit more fun, but there’s no gang, none of the Swallows and Amazons spirit that other books where Children Are In Charge can show.
More successfully wrought is the old-fashioned format, with both the first two original books easily split into three chunks, and combining to make one classical-minded quest. And with talk of the classics themselves here we see sirens, and the person forever stuck with the one task until someone is willing (or daft, or accident-prone) enough to replace him. But there is also the wacky, quirky fantasy of other chunks, such as a parade of lessons delivered for very little reason in a host of ominous towers. Meeting in the middle, between the ancient and the modern, ‘you can do what you want with a plot – it’s a fantasy’ approach, you get the first chunk itself, using a very Gulliveresque manipulation of sizes.
Anyway, the plots – in the first, the Little Captain and his crew conspire to find that a host of friends-of-a-friend are out there in the wild, missing – and in the third, a globe-trotting attempt to rehome some pirate treasure – all show the characters to be well-intentioned, and the whole has a kind of old-school charm as a result. The illustrations are strong in giving off the same feel, too. I just felt the whole was a little too tidy, with too great a swing between what is practically Greek myth rewritten and what is the bonkers and oddball, and the skiplet himself just a little too standoffish, and not relying on pluck, or spunk as it used to be able to be called. So as lively and engaging as it can get it didn’t feel the complete success it might have been. A slightly generous four stars, for it is better than the middle-of-the-range, but not by that far.
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