A treasure of a book: Crispin's Rainy Day

 

Crispin's Rainy Day: the search for the long lost lightning blade, by Forret Dickison

Go to the library. Get this book. You will not be disappointed.

Crispin's Rainy Day is a rolicking tale of pirates, dragons, treasure, sibling rivalry, and ultimately love, teamwork, and loyalty. 

The story follows Crispin, older brother and swashbuckling pirate captain, and his little sister Rose. Crispin is searching for the mighty Lightning Blade, and doesn't have time for--as he sees it--girly things. Rose, meanwhile, tries to make the best of things and befriends Crispin's crew. But after one rejection too many, a dragon kidnaps Rose and Crispin learns an important lesson about being a good big brother.

I thought at first that this must be the sequel to a book where Crispin learns that he can jump through puddles to access a magical world and commandeers a crew of amphibious pirates. But... I was wrong. 

We are simply dropped into this world and expected to keep up. There's a lightning blade. A deathless dragon. A pirate queen. And cake. Delicious, delicious cake. 

Age-wise, I'd say it's aimed more at the older end of the picture book market due to the complexity of a dual-pov storyline, but the text isn't too long and younger kids can still enjoy the art. You should definitely check this one out.