Pirate Bob

by Kathryn Lasky, David Clark (Illustrator)

Overview

Yo Ho! Bob is a pirate. Bob's friend, Yellow Jack, is also a pirate. In spare, compelling prose, Kathryn Lasky crafts a story of their unusual friendship; their hopes, dreams, and fears; and their search for happiness in the cutthroat world of pirates. David Clark's quirky illustrations capture the mood of the story and life on the high seas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781570916472
Publisher:	Charlesbridge
Publication date:	02/15/2008
Edition description:	New
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.55(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.14(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kathryn Lasky is the acclaimed author of dozens of books for young readers, including TUMBLE BUNNIES (Candlewick), HATCHLING (Scholastic), and SUGARING TIME (Macmillan), a Newbery Honor Book. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

For more information, visit www.kathrynlasky.com.

Editorial Reviews

Pirate Bob, of the scarred, gold-scenting nose and golden earring, waits with his mates for a ship to plunder. Bob's nose itches as he spots a ship in the moonlight. Bob and his friend Yellow Jack loose the sails as they prepare to warn and board. Their attack succeeds; the galleon surrenders its treasure. But as the crew celebrates, Bob wonders about Jack and his large share of treasure. He knows that Jack has buried a lot of loot. He would like to ask about it but he hesitates, afraid he might lose his friend. Bob would like to get enough treasure to stop the dangerous work of pirating and to know that he has friends who like him aside from his treasure. But would that make him happy? He is not sure. Lasky combines detailed pirate action and humor with food for deeper thought. Clark's ink and watercolor images create a cast of exaggeratedly comic characters in legendary pirate appearance and dress, while they describe more seriously the ropes, sails, and masts of the ships. Dramatic double-page scenes depict a greenish sea beneath a huge yellow "rogue's moon," or the pirate ship's silent approach to its victim. The final full-page portrait of Bob staring at us while he thinks is provocative. 2006, Charlesbridge Publishing, Ages 4 to 8.
—Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

Children's Literature

K-Gr 3-Pirate Bob and his shipmates live to loot. If the scar on Bob's nose itches, then gold is near. His friendship with Yellow Jack, a scurvy-ridden old salt, is genuine yet complicated. After all, pirates are outlaws and they do not really trust one another. Pirate Bob dreams of the day when he has put aside enough wealth to leave his dangerous life behind, and maybe make some true friends, too. This uneven book is one part history lesson, one part philosophical debate. The details of the pirates' lives are minute and impressive. From the description of a well-orchestrated (bloodless) attack, in which each man performs his task like a cog in a large machine, to the casual mentioning that Pirate Bob eats turtle, Lasky puts readers squarely in the scene. Clark's google-eyed buccaneers appear to be a fun-loving bunch, if slightly deranged. But the quieter, introspective moments in the book, where Pirate Bob contemplates his relationship with Yellow Jack and the nature of happiness, do not always gel with the organized mayhem of the action scenes. Children expecting a ripping yarn from start to finish might be derailed by the antihero's soul-searching. For a smoother blend of pirate guile and pirate heart, revisit Mem Fox's excellent Tough Boris (Harcourt, 1994).-Kara Schaff Dean, Needham Public Library, MA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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