Backbeard and the Birthday Suit: The Hairiest Pirate Who Ever Lived
Kindergarten-Grade 2-The crew of Backbeard's ship,Five O'Clock Shadow, has thrown him a birthday party, and a good time is had by all-scratching, spitting, breaking bottles, and singing. When the festivities are over, Backbeard is filthier than usual and decides that he needs a new suit of clothes. The shop in town is out of pirate garb, so he ends up dressed like a dandy, in a straw boater and pink waistcoat. The crew fails to recognize him, and another brawl ensues as Backbeard proves that despite his attire he is still the hairiest pirate to sail the five seas. The dimwit jokes get old fairly quickly in this thin plot. Of more interest are McElligott's illustrations. Using pencil, fabric, photography, and digital techniques, the pictures, which keep the chaos neatly contained in frames, have a variety of textures and, in some cases, a three-dimensional effect. There are, however, many more inviting and involving pirate tales available, including Jan Adkins'sWhat If You Met a Pirate?(Roaring Brook, 2004), Brett Helquist'sRoger, the Jolly Pirate(HarperCollins, 2004), and Melinda Long'sHow I Became a Pirate(Harcourt, 2003), making this one a marginal addition.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.