Captain Salt in Oz, by Ruth Plumly Thompson

Thumbs down.

Captain Salt, first seen in book 25, Pirates in Oz, is back. He's been commissioned to explore the seas and claim new lands for Oz. He takes King Ato along (as his cook) as well as Roger the Read Bird. The story format is perfect for introducing little islands with strange and marvelous little societies. Unfortunately I found it tedious.

• Volcano island: They visit a volcano island called Lavaland and barely escape with their lives after the Lavaland Islanders throw lava at them.
• Jungle island: On Patrippany Island they rescue a little boy named Tandy (full name Tazander Tazah, son of the king of Ozamaland) from the Leopard People. Tandy joins the crew. They also pick up a hippopatamus named Nikobo.
• Peakenspire Island: An "island" that is all sharp spikes rising out of the sea. There's no flat land, and the people build bridges between the spikes to travel and to live on. They yodel a lot.
• Sea Forest: A forest of enormous trees growing straight out of the ocean.
• Seaweegia: An undersea kingdom.
• They fight off a giant narwhal that rams their ship with its horn and puts a hole in it.
• They find a hole in the ocean.
• Ozamaland: Finally, they end up back at Tandy's homeland of Ozamaland, where they foil a coup and restore order. Tandy declines to take his rightful place as king and appoints the very capable Chunum to rule in his stead. Tandy rejoins Captain Salt for more adventures.