Captain McFinn and Friends is a book series that was founded in 2006 by Phyllis Cafaro. The goal of this series is to teach kids to "Be a Buddy, Not a Bully". The books educate and entertain children by sharing stories about friendship, kindness and taking care of the world around us. There are currently three books in the series plus an activity book, sing-along CD, eBooks and mobile apps.
I read books with my kids every night and they are always happy to hear new stories and meet new characters. The title of the first book in the series The Legend of Captain McFinn and Friends grabbed our attention and we loved how we could turn the first page and be introduced to the characters and locations in the book. Right away I noticed there was a difference between the character known as "Three-Tooth" and who we first meet "Four-Tooth"; My 6 year old son got a big kick out of that part of the story. When we first meet Captain McFinn he hangs out with mean fish and is a bully. When the nice fish help him he decides to change. It is a positive message in that in shows his transformation, but also that the other fish were still willing to help him even though he had made mistakes in the past.
My 3 year old daughter was much more excited to read the second book Captain McFinn and Friends Meet Coral Rose because of the girl who looked like a princess on the pink cover of the book. I liked that this story shares a lesson about taking care of our environment, but also still promotes friendship.
The most recent release in the series is Captain McFinn and Friends Rock! My son loves anything to do with music and he liked hearing about how the friends were going to become a band by making their instruments and practicing. The book shares the importance of hard work and making sure everyone feels included. When I asked my son to pick a favorite part of the books he honestly said he liked all of it. My daughter of course liked all the parts with the girls.
We also received the music CD "Come Along With The Friend-Ship Band". My son listened to the CD multiple nights in a row at bedtime, so that is a sure indicator that he liked it. He also would put the Captain McFinn & Friends Theme Song on repeat, so I would bet that was his favorite tune on the CD.
I truly loved the colors and illustrations in the books. The pictures do a great job depicting the story and I know that my daughter enjoys just looking at the pictures and creating her own story to follow along with them. These books share a wonderful message in a way that is easy to understand.
Another great thing about these books is that a portion of the proceeds from product sales benefit the Captain McFinn Foundation, which supports a variety of children's charities. To learn more about the series and to order online visit CaptainMcFinn.com and Amazon.
Disclosure: I received books and a CD from the series for the purpose of an honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.
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