Blackbeard the Pirate King
Grade 4-7–A close-up cover illustration of the infamous Edward Teach, teeth bared and eyes glaring, will draw pirate aficionados and the curious alike to this book. Lewis offers 12 poems (some with awkward rhyme schemes) that will be best appreciated by those who know a little about Blackbeard and pirating history, though a footnote with important details follows most poems and an author's note mentions sources. What truly shines here is the design. Each poem is presented with a striking illustration–there's N. C. Wyeth's painterly Duel on the Beach; Howard Pyle's evocative An Attack on a Galleon; a reproduction of one of the earliest known images of Blackbeard, by Thomas Nicholls (circa 1730); and an illustration (aglow in reds and oranges) of the terrifying Teach by the contemporary artist Rick Farrell. The variety of fonts and the pale brown pages evoke images of long-ago texts. Share this collection with reluctant poetry readers and anyone fascinated with the topic.–Daryl Grabarek, School Library JournalCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.