How I Became a Pirate
by Melinda Long
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Book Summary Information
Author: Melinda LongBrand: Harcourt
Illustrator: David Shannon
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-09-01
ISBN: 0152018484
Number of pages: 44
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc.
Book Reviews of How I Became a Pirate
Book Review: And it is it is a glorious thing to be a pirate king.
Summary: 5 Stars
While kids have always loved pirates and the piratical life (Peter Pan, anyone?), the current pirate craze sweeping the nation is somewhat amazing. Suddenly there are pirate Saturday morning tv shows, an official Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19), pirate movies making a mil, and pirate picture books. The breathtaking success of Melinda Long's, "How I Became a Pirate" is a little odd, but it couldn't have happened to a nicer story. Full of all the classic words and actions pirates partake of (with the possible exception of walking the plank) the book's a good hearted take on one boy's dream to be a scurvy dog.
Jeremy Jacob is the only person on the beach that notices when a pirate ship docks near the ocean shore. Jeremy, up until this moment, has been building a sand castle, yet the sight of the ship doesn't seem to get anyone's attention but his own. When Captain Braid Beard and his crew of seven see Jeremy's sand castle skills they are instantly impressed. They've a treasure to bury after all and Jeremy's just the lad to help them. Off he goes to join the pirate's life! There's a lot of "Aargh!"s and "landlubbers" to learn. Lots of talking with your mouth full, on board soccer (Jeremy teaches them how to play), and pillow fights. Unfortunately, Jeremy also learns that sweet comforts like getting tucked in ("No tucking!", the crew cried) getting a bedtime story, and receiving a goodnight kiss are lacking on this ship. After deciding that maybe he doesn't want to be a pirate after all, Jeremy finds the perfect place for his friendly crew to hide the booty. In the end, the pirates sail away happy and Jeremy goes back to his soccer practice.
A caveat: I'd like to be honest with you and state for the record that any picture book containing the sentence, "We must have taken a wrong turn at Bora Bora", instantly has my love. The story is full of fabulous pirate-inspired sentences like that one (though I suspect that particular line has been foisted from a Bugs Bunny cartoon). The pirates for their own part are happy go lucky fellows, ready to welcome their newest crewmate on board, no questions asked. There's never a scary moment on this particular ship, though the pirates deal with a sudden storm with some relative panic. David Shannon is the illustrator of this particular outing and as such he's great. Jeremy Jacob is your typical soccer playing tyke. The pirates themselves are the real stars of this show, however. With their terribly rotted teeth and scarred cheeks they might be scary if they weren't so darn appealing. Kids will enjoy watching the pirate with the patches over both eyes as he lifts first one and then another to see his fellows. Shannon places infinite little details and touches throughout his work as well. The shipboard cat is forever attempting to devour the captain's parrot. The largest and meanest pirate is seen patiently buttoning up his pajamas as Jeremy and the captain engage in a pillow fight. All in all, the illustrations in this story fit Long's writing perfectly. You couldn't ask for a better pairing of author and illustrator together.
I think kids everywhere have already figured out what grown-ups are only now discovering. Pirates are eternally amusing. This book just taps into the already existing piratical love sweeping the nation. Had this book been lucky enough to win a Caldecott award, I wouldn't have batted an eye. It's a wonderfully rousing tale. A feel good pirate piece, if you will. And a perfect addition to any up and coming young pirate's library. Fun for the whole fam.
Summary of How I Became a Pirate
When Braid Beard's pirate crew invites Jeremy Jacob to join their voyage, he jumps right on board. Buried treasure, sea chanteys, pirate talk--who wouldn't go along? Soon Jeremy Jacob knows all about being a pirate. He throws his food across the table and his manners to the wind. He hollers like thunder and laughs off bedtime. It's the heave-ho, blow-the-man-down, very best time of his life. Until he finds out what pirates don't do--no reading bedtime stories, no tucking kids in. . . . Maybe being a pirate isn't so great after all.
Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator David Shannon teams up with witty storyteller Melinda Long for a hilarious look at the finer points of pirate life.
(20030901)Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator David Shannon teams up with witty storyteller Melinda Long for a hilarious look at the finer points of pirate life.
Young Jeremy Jacob is plucked from obscurity while innocently constructing a sand castle and is thrust into a brand-new life as a pirate. Captain Braid Beard and his crew recognize Jeremy as an exceptionally talented digger and they happen to be in desperate need of a digger to help them bury a treasure chest. Jeremy thinks a pirate life sounds like fun, as long as he?s back the next day in time for soccer practice, and so he goes along with the ragtag group of seafaring thugs (with hearts of gold, naturally). And while Jeremy adores the pirates? lack of table manners and opposition to vegetables, he comes to realize that a life away from his parents lacks some of the niceties to which he?s become accustomed. Nobody tucks him in at night, for instance, and the only book available to read is a treasure map. Melinda Long?s story, narrated with a sense of boastful exaggeration by Jeremy, is full of a sense of high adventure that's lovingly evocative of Robert Louis Stevenson?s classic tales. David Shannon's illustrations, full of a goofy vibrancy, are a perfect accompaniment to the story. (Ages 4 to 8) --John Moe
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