Customer Reviews

Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Paul, 6, and Ben, 4, say: "We liked it when Cyrus broke the pirate's ship. When he was pulling the anchor of the ship, that was the funniest part. We liked it when he was sneaking up on the ships. We like Cyrus because he's a good serpent". Mom and Dad say: "It's fun to read, and we like the illustrations, especially the expressions on Cyrus' face."

This charming story is certain to bring a smile to your face. I love it even more than my son does. The drawings are delightfully done. Bill Peet is one of the very rare children's book authors who are able to produce both an excellent story and great pictures. All of his books are good, but some are better than others; Cyrus is one of his best.

I learned to read on this book! I'm 24 now, and it's miles better than the stuff I was forced to swallow in high school! "You've got no more spunk than a jellyfish! You're nothing but a big sissy" - the shark

17 years later and I can still quote it!

Julien

I've read elsewhere that this book is about resisting peer pressure. That sub-story is over in the first few pages and really does little but set the scene. What this story is really about is courage, self-sacrifice, and the protection of innocent life against a world that often is far too dangerous. Many adults could benefit from giving this a read and taking it to heart, and yet it's not preachy or over the heads of the children it is targetted towards. Add to this the absolutely gorgeous colored-pencil artwork (Bill Peet worked for Disney for a while; his character designs give the original 101 Dalmations and the Sword in the Stone much of their charm) and some truly memorable characters, and you have my favorite children's book, ever.

My boys, 6 and 3, have heard this story a minimum of 50 times (gee, if you add up all the times they've heard all the Bill Peet books, the number gets kind of big). It has suspense, pathos, bravery, and the bad guys get it in the end with a big KERWHAM! We love it. Folkmanis, by the way, makes a fabulous sea serpent puppet that is almost a dead ringer for Cyrus; ours has become a permanent part of family life, thanks to this wonderful story.

Cyrus is a loveable sea serpent who helps a doomed sea vessel and her crew of good folk across a sea filled with pirates, and storms, and the dreadful dolldrums.

I loved this book as a child - Bill Peet's books were among my favorites. My son, who is almost 3, enjoys this book as well!

I loved Bill Peet books as a child, and I still really like them today. I recently bought the whole set so that my children will have them, and realized that I remember every character and every plot from 20+ years ago when my parents read them to me. They really made an impact on me. The illustrations are cute and captivating, the characters are engaging, the stories and well told, and each book has a meaning. There are few authors who can create such a fine balance in childrens' books.

We have had this book for a few years & love it. The other day my son pulled it from the bookshelf, said that we hadn't read it for a while, & wanted to read it (he read it to me). When he finished reading it, he said "Mom, this is a fiction story based on the Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock". He's in 3rd grade & still loves Bill Peet's books. Even though it states for 4-8 year olds, his stories have a lot of text, so they are still very good for 9+ year olds to read. His artwork is wonderful too!

I'm so pleased to report that my 5 year old godson loves Bill Peet books, this one especially, as much as I did as a child. I believe the illustrations and syncopation of the writing combine to engage a young mind's imagination.