A couple of days ago, I started reading a rather special book : “The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear”. It was written by a German writer called Walter Moers in 1999 and has since been translated into various languages.
The book describes the adventures of a bear (with blue fur) in Zamonia.
It is one of those books that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. The plot is beautifully naive and unpredictable, and the text contains many jokes and puns. But what really makes this a “want to have” book, are the many black-and-white illustrations created by the author himself.
This is how the story begins …
A baby bear with blue fur is floating in the middle of the ocean. All alone.
Suddenly, the baby bear finds himself being sucked in by a giant whirlpool.
But, hey-ho, mini-pirates to the rescue !
Mini-pirates are born with 2 hooks for hands, 2 peglegs, and a black eye patch. They are Masters of the Waves, but otherwise completely unfit to be pirates.
Alas !
When our bear turns one, they unceremoniously ‘dump’ him on an island with just a bottle
of seaweed juice and a loaf of seaweed bread …
And so, the adventures of our hero continue …
