Wesley Raccoon: Captain John's Social

by Michelle Porter, Olivia Mokrzycki (Illustrations)

This inspiring story of friendship captures the importance of spending time with friends throughout our life. Join Wesley Raccoon and The Old Man in the Houseboat on their adventures through Vondelpark, and learn how Captain John's Social gathers a unique circle of true friends.

32 pages, Paperback

Published November 17, 2020

About the author

As a mother to four grown boys, Michelle is passionate about writing captivating children's stories on the importance of social acceptance, kindness, and life lessons.

Her books focus on friendship, love, and self-awareness blossoming in a world that children understand.

Her warm-hearted approach to writing and whimsical use of watercolour illustrations connect with young creative minds, inspiring children of all ages.

The message she conveys is simple yet powerful: "When we release our fear of the unknown and our preconceived notions, we free our hearts to find true friendship, to love, and to grow."

Connect with Michelle on Facebook!

Reviews

[Westveil Books]

I was granted complimentary access to Wesley Raccoon: Captain John's Social as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title through Goddess Fish Promotions. Thank you to all involved! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

A sequel to The Old Man in the Houseboat, Wesley Raccoon: Captain John's Social follows Welsey and his friend, the old man from the houseboat, as they bike through Amsterdam, have a picnic in the park, and make lots of new friends in the park throughout the day.

Unlike the previous Welsey Raccoon book where Wesley encounters the problem of the market being closed (or at leas the stall he wanted to visit was) and thus goes exploring elsewhere which leads him to meet his new friend, this one doesn't seem to have a plot. It's just a chronological presentation of the events that took place on a pleasant afternoon out. This combined with the fact that some pages are just large blocks of text means my preschooler and myself got bored at parts, and it didn't feel like as quick of a read as the previous book despite being almost the same page count.

As I said in my review for the previous book, I think the art style is great for the target age range. It's colourful, whimsical, and juvenile enough that an artistically inclined kid who wants to copy the illustrations could practise and likely achieve it. The pictures are cute and have lots going on, which means they'll hold interest, and that's exactly what picturebook illustrations are supposed to do!

[Priya]

If you have the first book in the Wesley Racoon series "Wesley Racoon: The Old Man in the Houseboat" you know that Wesley and the old man has become friends now.

In this book we see Wesley and the old man go on a bike ride to Vondelpark, eat lunch by the pond, share the leftovers to the fishes in the pond, smell the sunflowers as they pedal through the garden, sing along with the Hare of Vondelpark, fly kites, play hide and seek and have fun.

After returning from the Vondelpark they visit Captain John's social that night and he introduces his other friends to the old man. Together they sing, do fishing, play backgammon, dance and have an amazing time. And finally, they bid goodbye to their friends thinking how wonderful it is to have friends each with a unique character.

This is a very educational at the same time enjoyable read for children. It shows how important it is to go and socialise and have friends with different characters and how much we can learn from each of them. The colourful illustrations make it more interesting for children. I suggest all parents and teachers pick this book and read it out to their kids.

[Eileen]

Wesley Raccoon and his friend, the old man who lives in a houseboat, live in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. On warm summer days, they like to go for a cycle in Vondelpark. One particular day they take a picnic with them and eat by the pond where they see fish and turtles. After their picnic, they pedal through the park and smell sunflowers, sing with Wesley's friend Lisa-Lou, the Hare of Vondelpark, fly kites with Mero and her sister Lutha, play Hide and Seek, and eat icecreams with their friend Skylar and Riley. They have a wonderful day and that night visit, Captain John, for a social night. They meet other friends and sing songs, tell stories, play backgammon, do a spot of fishing, and dance. They all have a marvelous time.
There is something magical and beautiful about this book. it is a great book for discussing friendship with children and to get them to talk about the things they enjoy doing to relax. The wonderful colors in the illustrations enhance the poetic text. Adults and children will love this book.

[Andrea]

This is another story inspired by the author's father and grandson Wesley. It's a continuation of the first one where this time, Wesley Raccoon is introducing the Old Man to a bunch of his friends. They meet a wide variety of other animals and have fun doing different things with each of them, ending in a "social" on another boat. They learn how fun it is to have a wide variety of friends in life who like to do different things. It's another cute story. Kids can talk about all of the different things they like to do with all of their different friends.

In this one, the text is again printed in semi-transparent boxes over illustrations, but it is much easier to read than in the previous book.

I received a requested review copy from the author and Goddess Fish. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Mary]

In Captain John’s Social, we see a continuation of the story from book 1 (The Old Man in the Houseboat). The Old Man takes Wesley on an adventure where they meet even more people and animals with diverse backgrounds. The book brings out the importance of celebrating everyone’ differences and being friends with all.

The Illustrations are done beautifully and this would be a good book for younger children to enjoy.

I received a copy of this book as part of Goddess Fish Promotions and this is my unsolicited, unbiased review.

[Liz]

This is a nice little children's book with some attractive watercolor illustrations. The message, as conveyed by the cute raccoon Wesley, emphasizes the importance of making friends and having pleasant times with them. In this day, with all its emphasis on social media, the idea of simple shared pleasures is often lost. This is a good reminder for the child.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Anneliese Grassi]

Cute Adventure

This is a cute adventure with Wesley the racoon and his friend the old man and all the fun they have together in Vondelpark. That fun becomes even better once they start making new friends. The pictures aren't over the top but they are perfectly fine for this kind of story and children's book. Adorable and worth the read.

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.

[Tiffany Rhyan]

I won this book from Goodreads First Reads. Honestly, this book didn't do much for me. The story wasn't very entertaining and the art was fairly boring. For a children's book, there didn't seem to be much to grab a child's attention.

[Natalie]

I liked the diversity of Wesley's friends. Being different doesn't keep them from socializing and having fun. I wasn't a fan of the illustrations and something just was missing from the overall story.

[Marcy Heller]

Delighted to have won a giveaway and to have a book to share with my granddaughter. She loved the illustrations (which I also thought charming), but she got a little mixed up by the difficult names of the characters, and the uneven cadence of the story.

[Nancy (The Avid Reader)]

Come join Wesley Raccoon and his friend the old man who lives on the houseboat on an adventure riding their bikes on a wonderfully beautiful sunny day. Wesley and his friend like to take their bikes to the pond and watch the fish and have a picnic. They like to smell the sunflowers. They meet up with friends as they fly a kite. They get in a little fishing as well. They sing with their friend Lisa-Lou the Hare of Vondelpark.

When it starts getting dark they head back home. Once they are home they decide the night is still early so Wesley takes the old man out for a night on the town. They visit Captain John’s Social where Wesley introduces the old man to more of his friends where they sing and dance the night away.

Captain John's Social is another adventure with Wesley Raccoon and his friend. The illustrations are so remarkably done that they create a story right on the pages. Wesley Raccoon: Captain John's Social is a neat and adorable little story that will teach kids to go out and spend a day in the warm sunshine and make new friends while visiting old friends just to have a little fun. It teaches them to be sociable and friendly.

One-click your copy of Wesley Raccoon: Captain John's Social to join Wesley and his friends for a day of fun-filled adventure!