By Edward Ardizzone (author) Part of the New York Review Books Kids series
Hardback Pre-order. 13th October 2026 £16.99 £15.29
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Tim Bowler, February 2010 Guest Editor , chose Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain . Here's why:
"This is the first book I ever read (age 5) and it started my passion for sea stories. Little Tim stows away on a ship. He makes friends with the captain but then a storm blows up and the ship starts to sink. The crew put off in the lifeboats, leaving only the captain (who refuses to go) and Tim (who's been forgotten).
I remember my fear as a small boy when I thought Tim was going to drown. I won't tell you what happens. Read it for yourself. It's a charming book and beautifully illustrated by the author."
A daring boy sails the high seas and learns the power of self-reliance in this classic children's book for kids ages 4-8 who love adventure, boats, and pirates! Little Tim lives by the sea and wants to be a sailor. He spends his days on the beach, mucking about in boats, learning knots and other crucial things about the sea and ships.
Read the full description
Tim is too impatient to wait until he is grown up to become a sailor so he resolves to run away to sea. The first in Edward Ardizzone's acclaimed Little Tim series, Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain is a rollicking tale of a stowaway, a storm, and a high sea adventure, now back in print for the first time in years. With its cozy illustrations and lessons in self-reliance, this is the perfect book for any little adventurer.
"This is pure escapism and it is refreshing to find a book of such quality surviving and succeeding through generations of readers but still being published today amongst the buzz and fizz of novelty books" - www.writeaway.org.uk
"An exquisite reissue of Edward Ardizzone's classic 1936 picture book, which is sure to enchant a new generation of readers" - www.booktrusted.com
"The combination of exciting action, vivid characters and fabulously detailed illustrations still make the Little Tim series enthralling." - The Ultimate First Book Guide
Edward Ardizzone was born in 1900. His family moved to Ipswich in 1905 and lived there until Ardizzone was fourteen. It was in Ipswich, as he later wrote, that he "...learnt to know and love the little coastal steamers that I have drawn so often in the Tim books." Ardizzone illustrated more than 170 books and his outstanding work in the field of children's book illustration was recognised when he won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1956. The adventures of Tim are firm favourites with readers, young and old, throughout the world.
He lived in Maida Vale in London for most of his life, but was away for the whole war, working as an official War Artist.
Edward Ardizzone was a member of the Royal Academy of Arts and was appointed CBE in 1971.
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A daring boy sails the high seas and learns the power of self-reliance in this classic children's book for kids ages 4-8 who love adventure, boats, and pirates! Little Tim lives by the sea and wants to be a sailor.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain and determined it is suitable for children aged 5-8 years old
Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain features in the following genres: Featured Books for 7+ readers, Recommendations, Featured Books for 5+ readers
Hardback. £15.29, down from the £16.99 cover price. Pre-order. 13th October 2026.
Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain was written by Edward Ardizzone and published by NYRB Kids an imprint of New York Review Books
Little Tim and the Brave Sea Captain has 48 pages
Yes it is part of New York Review Books Kids series
£15.29, reduced from £16.99. Pre-order. 13th October 2026.
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