Pirates

Title:

Pirates

Author:

Harrison, David L. (David Lee), 1937-

Burr, Dan, 1960-

Burr, Dan, 1951- illustrator.

ISBN:

9781590784556

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 29 cm

Reading Level:

AD 650 Lexile.

Abstract:

There are famous pirates, and then there are the rest of the pirates. All were a bunch of misfits, thugs, and ne'er-do-wells who spent most of their time bored, waiting for a few moments of excitement and rich booty that could very well get them wounded or killed, or captured and executed. But to most of those who swore the oath of the Brotherhood, it was just a job. Still, a pirate's life was chosen by many, and this collection describes and depicts the high points, the low points, and everything in between.

Subject:

Pirates -- Juvenile poetry.

Children's poetry, American -- Juvenile literature.

Pirates -- Juvenile literature.

Texas Bluebonnet Master List -- Juvenile literature.

Poetry.

Genre:

Poetry.

Available:*

Audience	Shelf Location	Material Type	Shelf Number	Current Location
Kids/Juvenile	Non-fiction	Book	J 811.54 HARRISON	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Glamorous, swashbuckling, daring adventurers? Pirates have had good publicity for a long time. But they were really a bunch of misfits, thugs, and ne'er-do-wells who spent most of their time bored, waiting for a few moments of excitement and rich booty that could very well get them wounded or killed, or captured and executed. Still, a pirate's life was chosen by many, and this poetry collection describes the highs and lows and everything in between for those who swore the oath of the Brotherhood.

Author Notes

David L. Harrison wrote the acclaimed poetry collection Somebody Catch My Homework and many other award-winning books for children, including picture books, poetry, and nonfiction books. He lives in Springfield, Missouri.

Dan Burr has been painting book jackets for years. He lives in Tetonia, Idaho.

Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-6-Large realistic paintings work with 20 narrative poems to describe the nitty-gritty details of pirate life. Nothing is sugarcoated. One young man is shown tied to a post, subjected to a whipping with a cat-o'-nine-tails. "Why is it always me?/Shouldn't a broke a rule.." The young man's face and body are tensed for the expected and dreaded pain. In another piece called "Trouble," a sunburned and tattooed crew member wonders if maybe he's about to be robbed of his share of the plunder. In "Captured," two pirates are shown in shackles, facing the hangman's noose. The final poem ends, "Farewell, then./I go to settle/for my sins." Burr's illustrations do a fine job of conveying the emotions of each poem and of showing the details of dress and shipboard life. An afterword further explains the unromantic world of piracy. This is a good choice for reading aloud in classrooms studying the topic, or for children interested in the real world of pirates.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.