Commander Toad and the Space Pirates
Grade 13 Yolen's writing in this book is rhythmic but confusing. Commander Toad is captain of Star Warts and Mr. Hop, a frog, is his co-pilot. They are on a long trip, ``a boring trip . . . They have played leapfrog and hopscotch and croak-kay.'' The puns are abun dant but seem to be included only for effect. In many cases they are awkward and will not make sense to a beginning- to-read audience. Pirates, led by Com mander Salamander, board the Star Warts. They make the crew play a dan gerous game, ``Hop the Plank.'' By the time children wade through the confus ing text, they won't care whether the crew escapes. Most of Degen's illustra tions are black-and-white drawings, while a few are rendered in three col ors. All seem harsh and uninviting. The characters as illustrated seem very neu tral. There is nothing endearing about any of the ``good'' characters, and the ``villains'' are just ugly and unattrac tive. With so many other beginning-to- read books available, libraries can well pass on this one. Consider instead the books by James Marshall, Else Min arik, Arnold Lobel, and others. Shar ron McElmeel, Cedar Rapids Commu nity Schools, IowaCopyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.