The Night Pirates

by Peter Harris, Deborah Allwright (Illustrator)

Overview

One night, Tom is awoken by a band of rough, tough little girl pirates. So what does he do? He joins their ranks!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781405211611
Publisher:	Gardners Books
Publication date:	09/01/2005
Sales rank:	650,504
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

Editorial Reviews

It's one laugh after another in this razzle-dazzle bedtime tale from the team behind Perfect Prudence. A mob of indomitable pirates-"rough, tough little girl pirates" whom Allwright depicts with enormous hats twice as big as they are-snatch the front of Tom's house in a daring nighttime raid (yes-the whole fa ade). Tom then asks them to accept him as a shipmate. "And did the girl captain say, `Certainly not! You're only a boy!' Oh, no, not at all! Instead she roared, `Welcome aboard!' " Cleverly disguising their ship with the front of Tom's house, the girl pirates and their new matey ambush a gang of grown-up pirates asleep on a desert island. "I've seen a house!" the stumpy pirate captain gasps. "We've all seen houses," the dozing pirates reply. "Who cares?" Allwright joins the rollicking fun with her full-bleed spreads, spooling out the treasure theme with footstep paths through the drawings, and applying old map and graph cutouts as collage elements. The grown-up pirates don't stand a chance, of course. Snatching the pirates' treasure chest, the diminutive pirate clan sails off with it. "Captain Patch stamped his feet and shouted his worst pirate curse, `If you don't give me back my treasure, I'll tell my mommy!' " Satisfying repetition ("Down down down the dark dark street they came") and gentle parodies of the usual stereotypes will make this a read-aloud favorite. Ages 3-7. (Mar.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-A group of rough, tough girl pirates sneaks over to Tom's house to steal the front of his house to disguise their ship. When Tom hears them, he asks to join them, and they agree. Then it's off to steal a treasure that belongs to adult pirates, and they are so befuddled by the ship's house front that they give it up easily. This leads to victory and a good night's sleep for Tom. Harris's soothing text has a storyteller's rhythm built in. The rhyming couplets are interspersed with questions that lead to the next section of the tale, clarifying and expanding it. The text is written in a rolling font that adds to the movement of the pirate ship. Allwright's illustrations are moody and midnight-colored with some collages added in. Their texture, made of maps and graph paper among other items, adds to the mystery of the adventures. The story's touch of the ridiculous will appeal to young listeners, especially surrounding the adult pirates. This tale would be terrific at a pajama storytime, and its pirate theme will satisfy many young girls and boys.-Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Harris's tale offers a swashbuckling adventure with a twist. Good boy Tom is lured to the buccaneer life by a collection of little girl pirates who arrive to steal away the facade of his house one evening-think stealth attacks and Trojan Horse tactics. He joins the courageous cuties as they set out to pilfer the treasure of the dastardly Captain Patch. Harris's tale of derring-do hits just the right note for pint-sized pirates; there's lots of suspense but very little fearsome action, even when the tots seize the bounty from the grown-up, yet cowardly band of Patch's men. Harris imbues the narrative with a jaunty rhythm that will hold readers' attention for the duration of the tale. Allwright's collage-style illustrations are awash in the hues of the night, where midnight blue skies give way to lavender tints of moonlit sands. Her crew of feminine pirates is too cute to be intimidating, and Patch's men are comical caricatures of bumbling buffoons, too silly to fear. Pirate fans of both sexes will enjoy this rollicking, high-seas caper. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews