Captain Jack and the Pirates

by Peter Bently, Helen Oxenbury (Illustrator)

Overview

The boys from King Jack and the Dragon are back in this swashbuckling pirate adventure with pictures by the New York Times bestselling illustrator of Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes
 
Jack, Zack, and Caspar are building a ship—on the beach, out of sand. When they set sail on their imaginary adventure, Jack spies an enemy pirate ship nearby. They chase after the pirates, but a storm wrecks their ship and sweeps them up on a desert island. The island isn't totally deserted, though—their pirate enemies are there too. Just as the boys discover the pirates' treasure (an array of delicious desserts), the pirates (their parents) capture them. But these pirates are friendly—they're willing to share the treasure, and they throw in some ice cream just for good measure!
 
Perfect for storytime read-alouds, this picture book is just right for fans of Three Bears in a Boat, How I Became a Pirate, and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525429500
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/29/2016
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	287,040
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD590L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Peter Bently is the author of more than forty children’s books, including King Jack and the Dragon and Cats Ahoy!, which won the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. He lives in Devon, England.
 
Helen Oxenbury has charmed generations of children with her award-winning illustrations. She has won the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize, and her numerous books include We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and the New York Times bestseller Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes. She lives in London with her husband, the author and artist John Burningham.

Editorial Reviews

Bently's droll rhymes and Oxenbury's soft, captivating watercolors plunge you into a make-believe mind-set where everyday life and swashbuckling adventures live blissfully side by side.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

Praise for Captain Jack and the Pirates
Shortlisted for the Kate Greeenaway Medal

"Bently's rhyming narrative could be sung as a sea chantey . . . Gently and agreeably thrilling."—Kirkus

"A grand adventure."—School Library Journal

"A riveting read-aloud adventure that mirrors children's imaginative play and has the power to inspire it."—Booklist

Praise for King Jack and the Dragon
ALA Notable Book

* "Soft colors and the fanciful expressions on the various creatures offset any scare youngsters might find in the story, and the children's beguiling faces are warm and friendly. A balance of brown-toned crosshatched drawings and full-color artwork adds to the easy flow of the action. A tale of make-believe that children will delight in hearing again and again."—School Library Journal, starred review

* "Bently's verse never misses a beat, and Oxenbury shifts between monochromatic, engraving-like drawings and pale watercolors; the images feel as if they were drawn from a classic fairy tale book and contemporary life simultaneously. It's an enchanting tribute to both full-throttle pretend play and the reassurance of a parent's embrace."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the Publisher

01/01/2016
PreS-K—The gifted Bently and Oxenbury team up again to take their characters from King Jack and the Dragon (Dial, 2011) on a pirate adventure. Jack, Zach, and Casper (three very little children, one with a pacifier) and their teddy bear play on an idyllic beach, where their sand-castling becomes an imaginary adventure on the high seas. A busy day includes a terrifying storm, a shipwreck, and a run-in with pirates and ends with a warm bath and some ice cream. There are other pirate stories that highlight imaginative play, and Bently covers no new ground here, but his treatment features expertly phrased rhyming couplets that take readers step-by-step into the characters' creative process and are paired perfectly with Oxenbury's romantic washed watercolors and pencil sketches. Perfect for a lap-sit, where a child has plenty of time to search for details, identify with the characters, and fall into the rhythm of the story, but useful, too, in a small group, where readers can predict the end to each rhyming verse. VERDICT A grand adventure and a solid addition to most picture book collections.—Lisa Lehmuller, Paul Cuffee Maritime Charter School, Providence, RI

School Library Journal

★ 2015-12-22
Jack, Zack, and Caspar (King Jack and the Dragon, 2011) are back in an adventure by the seaside, complete with stormy waters…and pirates! Bently's rhyming narrative could be sung as a sea chantey. Pre-kindergarteners pink-cheeked Jack and brown-skinned Zack build "a galleon down by the sea" assisted by diaper-clad and towheaded Caspar, pacifier firmly clenched in his mouth. Their sand construction sports mast and boom, sand-bucket cannons, and a teddy-bear cabin boy. Oxenbury's artwork, in a mix of full-bleed color illustrations and monochrome sketches, shows the boys hard at work on their ship. The blending of the real day at the seaside and the fanciful voyage on the high seas is beautifully done. Sun and warm sand give way to a steely gray ocean, with whitecaps and a pirate ship in the distance as the young buccaneers ("hungry for glory and enemy booty") set out. The imaginary, scowling, sword-wielding grown-up pirates in the approaching square-rigger are comical yet ferocious enough to cause delighted shivers. The voyage ends as a brief cloudburst clears away the beachgoers, but the boys find plenty of fine booty, including ice-cream cones, offered by a pair of friendly pirates who look like Mum and Dad. The trek between the beach and the car documented on the endpapers sweetly bookends the excitement. A clear, large font and generous trim size invite the young audience in. Gently and agreeably thrilling. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews