Hunt for
summertime treasure as you ride the high seas in these pirate tales of
adventure and travel! Watch out! Imagination required, as a shipload of magical
new discoveries await.
One-Eyed Jake by Pat
Hutchins
One-Eyed Jake was the meanest pirate ever. “Nobody liked
him.” The cook, the bo'sun, and the cabin boy wanted to escape. But Jake
“robbed every ship in sight. . . And if
anyone dared complain,” Jake threw him overboard.
The colorful and detailed
illustrations show Jake and his ship with the requisite pirate flag, spyglass,
eye patch, treasure chest and much more against a white background and bright
blue sea. Pirate activity moves the story in a beautifully choreographed
combination of busy paintings and jaunty text. A variety of skin colors, plus
faces and body language, demonstrate the threat and fear Jake’s greediness
produce.
What the cook, the bo’sun and the cabin
boy wish for becomes clear as the story progresses. And what Jake does, despite
the fishermen’s warnings, actually helps each of the three achieve their dreams.
And satisfyingly, “One-Eyed Jake was never seen again.”
Greenwillow
Interest
Level: Kindergarten – Grade 1
Poppy the Pirate Dog and the Missing
Treasure by Liz
Kessler, illustrated by Mike Phillips
Adorable Poppy comes to the rescue
once again in this third adventure starring the pirate pup. Expressive
illustrations in ink and watercolors, surrounded by lots of white space, show
Poppy and her human family preparing for a pirate show in honor of Mom’s
birthday. Poppy's job is to “guard the treasure and keep it safe.”
But
while protecting the treasure, Poppy injures her eye and must wear a plastic
cone around her neck. Thinking this will keep her from all the fun Poppy tries
to take a nap. However, along with the other family members, Poppy realizes
that the sparkly new necklace Dad bought for Mom's birthday is missing.
Text
and illustrations together offer clues for beginning readers. How Poppy discovers
this treasure's hidden location doesn’t require a pirate map. It does, however,
assure readers that Mom's pirate show and party are not spoiled.
Poppy with her
family supply another episode of fun for fans of this early chapter book series.
Candlewick Press, $3.99 (paperback)
$14.99 (hardcover)
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
Pirate Girl by Cornelia Funke, illustrated by
Kerstin Meyer
Molly
is on a trip, sailing to visit her grandmother, when she is captured by Captain
Firebeard, the “terror of the high seas,” and his fearsome crew. They decide to
hold her for a “handsome ransom.”
Meyer’s
cartoon-like illustrations use mixed media to show scruffy bearded buccaneers
in partnership with Funke’s humorous text. In spite of being forced to perform
endless chores, Molly resists threats to feed her to the sharks, if she doesn’t
reveal her parents' names and address. Instead, she makes a clever plan, waits
until the pirates are sleeping, and tosses messages into the sea, secretly
tucked in bottles
When
she’s caught in the act, and is about to be thrown overboard, rescue arrives in
the form of pirate Barbarous Bertha, who happens to be her mom. Firebeard and
his mates are now required to take over Molly's chores. She, meanwhile, sails
happily off to Grandma's house.
Chicken House, $15.95
Interest Level: Junior Kindergarten –
Grade 1
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