Everything I Know about Pirates ANNOTATION
A collection of made-up facts, educated guesses, and silly pictures about pirates.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Pirates will often carry their knives in their mouths, although the practice is frowned upon by the American Dental Association.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
"This picture book spoof of a reference on all things piratical will shiver the timbers and tickle the funnybones of those salts, both young and old, with a penchant for silliness," according to PW. Ages 4-8. (May) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Publishers Weekly
Newcomer Lichtenheld's picture book spoof of a reference on all things piratical will shiver the timbers and tickle the funnybones of those salts, both young and old, with a penchant for silliness. Waltzing through a compendium of merry myths about the terrors of the high seas, Lichtenheld sends up everything from buccaneers' wardrobes (holey boots "ventilated to prevent toe crud"; the origins of "scaredy pants") to their surly looks ("the Pirate Sneer") and their loot ("gold coins, jewelry, and high-end Japanese electronics"), all to mirthful visual accompaniment. He traces the evolution of the pirate flag (the "1620 Hot Dog and Crossbones" was an abject failure, due to the fact that it was "not very scary"), and provides a handy do-it-yourself pirate name chart (because the pirates are "not going to let you in with a name like Nathan or Ashley"). The off-the-cuff commentary maintains a rapid-fire, gag-a-minute pace that dips into the kind of crudeness certain youngsters crave (polka dots on pirates' hankie headscarves "are actually old booger stains"), and the jaunty cartoon illustrations, rendered against a parchment-like backdrop in ink, colored pencil, gouache, pastels "and ear wax," as the copyright page notes, raise the threshold for zaniness. Boisterous fun from fore to aft. Ages 4-8. (May) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
Children's Literature
This picture book is a cross between the yarns that made pirates famous and a terrible school report. Lichtenheld begins with some probable truths, but his tongue-in-cheek quipping is apparent when he labels his pirate illustration. An arrow points to the eye patch and the author explains that his eye poked out when a seagull made doo-doo in his eye and he forgot about his new hand-hook. Facts like these are perfect for an age group struggling with first school reports. Some sophistication might be needed to catch the more subtle references, like the skull and cross bones flag by Leonardo "Peg Leg" da Vinci. The book spans several ages because of these references, the blend of street and pirate lingo, the delivery of text with an attitude, and just a touch of the bathroom humor children love. 2000, Simon & Schuster, $16.00. Ages 7 to 10. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
Children's Literature - Childrens Literature
Lichtenheld mixes his childhood fascination with pirates with an adult's cynical view of buccaneer legends to create this hilarious read, in the tradition of Jon Scieszka. It has clever writing and visual puns for adults, and plenty of gross-out humor and other silly stuff for kids. For instance, a handy chart helps kids make up official pirate names in time for the annual convention, since "they're not going to let you in with a name like Nathan or Ashley." When pirates get bored with fighting, they "get together over a root beer and tell lies about how mean they were in the battle." And we're told that the carrying of knives between teeth is standard, but "frowned upon by the American Dental Association." Parents won't mind reading this book over and over, because they'll likely see new humor each time in Lichtenheld's goofy illustrations which were, he assures us, rendered in "ink, colored pencil, gouache, pastels and ear wax." 2000, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Ages 4 to 8, $16.00. Reviewer: Donna Freedman—Children's Literature
School Library Journal
Gr 2-5-The subtitle succinctly describes this silly book. The tongue-in-cheek humor will appeal to those who like to be grossed out by boogers, earwax, chest hair, body odor, and seagull poop. Some jokes may need to be explained to younger children: "Sometimes a pirate would refuse to use a map at all and just wander aimlessly around the ocean, refusing to even stop to ask directions. These were usually Dad pirates." A two-page "Official Pirate Glossary" reflects the mixture of fact and fiction throughout: "Buccaneer 1. A fancy French word for `pirate.' 2. How much a pirate pays to get his ears pierced." This spoof is not to be confused with factual books about pirates, even though the CIP recommends a 910.4'5 Dewey classification. The cartoon-style illustrations, rendered in "ink, colored pencil, gouache, pastels, and ear wax," are large and plentiful with amusing captions. Don't walk the plank for this one.-Eunice Weech, M. L. King Elementary School, Urbana, IL Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|
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