Bash and the Pirate Pig

City kid Raymond “Beamer” Boxby is sent to spend summer on the farm with his cousin Sebastian “Bash” Hinglehobber. Ray is supposed to keep his three-months-younger cousin out of trouble, but more often than not, Ray is in the middle of the mess that Bash dreams up. Ray spends a good bit of the summer in a constant state of disgruntlement, irritated that he gets yelled at just as much as Bash, and why won't Bash just listen to him, and how much longer does he have to stay there, and he can't WAIT to get home to his comic books and video games and places where there are convenience stores with snacks nearby.

But as the summer goes on, Ray listens to what Bash tells another boy about what he knows from his Farmin' and Fishin' Book (the Bible). He wonders, why does Bash enjoy life so much, even when he's in trouble? Can Jesus get rid of this cold yucky feeling I have? Can I learn to like the adventure of life, too?

This is a delightful book! I read it with my 10-year-old (he likes to draw while mom reads to him), and it is a hoot. We laughed out loud at Bash's antics many times, and we've ordered the other two books in the series. The story talks about faith in Jesus and how to be saved, but it isn't preachy. Bash talks about his faith in the God he knows personally in a gentle, conversational way that I'd like to emulate.

The book is good, clean reading for kids, and fun for parents to read along with them, too. I highly recommend it. We liked it so much, we're giving copies of all three books to my son's class at school for their library.