Who Wants to Be a Pirate?

November 1, 2019

K-Gr 3-This humorous book provides a more realistic view of sea-roving thieves. Cartoon illustrations introduce our guide, Captain Parrot, along with his ship and crew. Full-bleed spreads include small chunks of information, making the book accessible to a young audience. The pirate ship looks more like a floating farm, with livestock and people crowded together, than a terrifying war vessel. Pirates faced storms, dwindling food supplies, and rough conditions. Captain Parrot discusses the excitement of battling another ship but also acknowledges the lack of medical care for the injured or sick. The pirates would take whatever the other ship had, which was more likely to be meat, cotton, or candles than treasure. One illustration shows the pirates dressing up in stolen fine clothes, including a fancy ball gown. An informative author's note explains why pirating was tolerated for a long period of time, why some men would choose to live on a pirate ship rather than work on a merchant vessel, and when the military began arresting pirates. The cover image of a small dog lifting its leg on the ship's wheel reflects the tone of the book-historical facts infused with a large dose of silliness. VERDICT This title would be a useful addition to pirate-themed activities or storytimes.-Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher's School, Richmond, VA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2019
Avast! There's more to a real pirate's life than plunder and parties. As in Who Wants To Be A Princess? (2017, illustrated by Migy), Heos contrasts romance with reality--but not in any particularly perceptive, or even accurate, way. Addressing readers whose idea of "pirate" starts and ends with the likes of Capt. Hook or Jack Sparrow, the equally fictional Capt. Parrot (a white human with a diverse crew) does present pirate food as wormy in good times and boiled boots in bad, and gives redolent new meaning to the term "poop deck" thanks to the livestock on board. But aside from drinking punch and having food fights, he barely alludes to actual piratical behavior or history. Duncan is no better, as he shows a cartoon crew firing anachronistic breech-loading cannons and then contradicting the narrative claim that victims are thrown overboard by providing them a boat and supplies. He also depicts a carpenter "surgeon" flourishing but not using a faintly discolored saw, leaves the captured captain being bundled aboard a paddy wagon rather than hanged, and offers a final view of an apparently uninhabited pirate ship sailing along. An afterword on the Golden Age of Piracy, capped by a bibliography, at least points to piracy's less savory side. Anemic fare for would-be buccaneers. (Picture book. 6-8)

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