Meh. Cute drawings, but six out of eight lines on each page were the same over and over. Maybe very young children who like rhythm and repetition will like this, but I think my four-year-old niece is probably too old for this. The pirate facts at the end seem aimed at an incongruously aged reader. ( )

We love singing this... I love singing this... I was singing this long after my kiddo put it down! There is so much more to this book than meets the eye! It's hard to find a book that both my pre-schooler and 2nd grader like, but between the music, fun illustrations, and super facts at the back - all three of us were really happy with this one! ( )

I enjoyed reading this book. One reason I liked this book was because of the word choice. Throughout each page, the events were different however, the words remained parallel and they repeated. The word choice allows readers to become engaged in the book and have a verbal responsibility when getting to that point in the story. For example, the words that are repeated are, “Oh we go this way, that way, port side, starboard over the deep blue sea!” The words also rhymed throughout and that was very engaging to me. The illustrations also depicted each scene perfectly. They were very simple, but the drawings and colors grabbed my eye. They were very appropriate for young children. Another aspect I loved about this book was the different feature it offers. In the back, there is a CD and a page with a pirate song. I thought this was a great alternative or activity to connect with the book. The back also included 3 pages of pirate “vocabulary” to connect to the reading. The main idea of this book is to allow young children to learn about the history of pirates while taking a pirate adventure. The young children can also connect with the characters throughout the book, as they are young children as well. ( )

Although I liked a few features about the book, I still cannot say that I enjoyed it. There are some features that I enjoyed, such as the main message of the book which is fun and teaches children about the life of a pirate. I also loved the illustrations and language, which are definitely the highlights of this book. However, the plot fails to shine through and is the reason I have such mixed feelings about this book.

The illustrations of this book are definitely eye catching and place the reader in the world of these pirates. I love the use of shapes and color and how each pirate is different from the next. I particularly like how the water is its own character as it shifts into a new shape on each page. On one page, the water is bumpy and illustrated with crescent-looking waves, but the next page shows that the waves have turned into animals to depict the chaos of the sea. I think this was inventive and creates a one-of-a-kind feature for the book.

The language of the book is also key in placing the reader in the world of the pirates. The rhyme assists the language in being patterned while providing pirate lingo, such as “starboard”, “aye”, and “man overboard”. This is a fun feature that young readers would really enjoy.

The main reason where I find myself unable to connect with the text and find value in the book is that it relies too heavily on the accompanying CD. Without the music being played with the story, the text is far too repetitive and uninventive. Each page almost exactly mirrors the previous and does not move the plot in any way. In addition, without the CD, it is hard to establish a correct rhythm which is necessary for a poem.

With the plot aside, I overall think that this book has merit and is a fun way to introduce poetry to young readers. The illustrations and language shine very clearly and allow this book to stand out from others in its genre. ( )