If You Ever Want to Bring a Pirate to Meet Santa, Don't! (Magnolia Says DON'T! Series #4)

by Elise Parsley

Overview

The fourth book in the New York Times-bestselling Magnolia Says DON'T! series that started with If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don't! is another loud and cautionary tale of what not to do...when you visit Santa.

If your dad says you're going to meet a bearded guy with a red suit and a bag full of treasures...he is not talking about meeting a pirate! But Magnolia has already invited the misbehaving swashbuckler to jump in line to meet Santa. So what if pirates are on the Naughty List? She'll just teach this one to change his scurvy ways--no plundering or sword-fighting or plank-walking allowed! Plus, Santa is happy to hear everyone's wish list. Right?

It's YO HO HO versus HO HO HO in this rowdy and raucous holiday guide on how not to meet Santa, from Elise Parsley, the bestselling creator of If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, DON'T!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316466783
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	11/06/2018
Series:	Magnolia Says DON'T! Series , #4
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	35 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Elise Parsley has written and illustrated the New York Times bestseller If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, DON'T! and three other stories about Magnolia, as well as Neck & Neck. She also illustrated The Magic Word by Mac Barnett. Elise and her family live in South Dakota, and she invites you to visit her website at eliseparsley.com.

Editorial Reviews

09/24/2018
Pirate meets Santa—what could possibly go wrong? In this holiday-themed addition to the series that began with If You Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don’t!, an enthusiastic heroine buddies up with a pirate while waiting to see Santa. Following her “don’t do as I do” formula, Parsley describes the pirate’s naughty-list shenanigans, which include interrupting Christmas carolers with a round of sea chanteys and brandishing a swordfish at the crowd. With the pirate’s red suit, scraggly beard, and Jolly Roger bandana, he looks like Santa’s creepy, long lost sibling. An elf freak-out and Santa walking the (mall fountain) plank ratchets up the chaos. Readers should appreciate that the pirate’s moment of redemption is quickly eclipsed by his undeniably naughty nature. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for If You Ever Want to Bring a Pirate to Meet Santa, Don't!:

"You don't need to be a pirate aficionado to enjoy this outrageously naughty addition to the holiday shelves."—School Library Journal

"A rollicking adventure."—Kirkus

"An enthusiastic heroine buddies up with a pirate while waiting to see Santa.... Readers should appreciate that the pirate's moment of redemption is quickly eclipsed by his undeniably naughty nature."
—Publishers Weekly

"Four-year-olds will enjoy seeing Elise Parsley's Magnolia try to keep a pirate off the naughty list."—The TODAY Show

"Pirates and Santa don't mix-or do they've No, they definitely don't, as Magnolia hilariously learns after she brings a pirate to meet another guy in a red suit."—Parade

"You wouldn't think that pirates and Christmas naturally go together... and they don't, but in hilarious ways."—Good Housekeeping

"Little ones will love this silly story and grown-ups will get the chance to practice their best pirate voices when reading the book aloud."—The Deseret News

"Amusing."—USA Today

Praise for If You Ever Want to Bring a Circus to the Library, Don't!:
"Good fun to read aloud."
—Kirkus Reviews

"This enjoyable romp through the library with Magnolia will engage young readers and keep them looking forward to her next adventure."—School Library Journal

"Spunky little Magnolia continues to push rules to the limit.... Offers a fun way to address proper library behavior without ignoring the joy books can bring."

—Booklist

Praise for If You Ever Want to Bring a Piano to the Beach, Don't!:
"Magnolia's voice is wonderfully childlike...but her facial expressions top all, perfectly capturing both her exuberance and her mood swings."—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don't!:
A New York Times Bestseller


"Brim[s] with energy and just-edgy-enough humor...and the well-chosen school-day details in both the artwork and text...deliver a steady stream of laughs."—Publishers Weekly

"Comically expressive and detailed digital artwork that seems to shout from the page."—Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher

10/01/2018
PreS-Gr 2—Is it possible that more than one child would decide to bring a pirate to meet Santa? Magnolia warns readers what will happen, just in case. She and her family are in line to meet Santa, a "bearded guy with a red suit and a bag full of treasures." Magnolia finds another guy fitting the description at the mall. He also sports a skull and crossbones bandana and happens to be taking coins from a fountain. She befriends the pirate and brings him along to meet Santa. The line is long and Magnolia soon learns that pirates don't share, sing Christmas carols, wait patiently, or take nice pictures with Santa. When the pirate makes Santa walk the plank and then Santa and his elves leave, Magnolia realizes there is only one thing to do: put the pirate in time out until he changes his ways! Or better yet, just don't bring a pirate to meet Santa. Digital cartoon illustrations show the chaotic aftermath of Magnolia's bad choice. VERDICT You don't need to be a pirate aficionado to enjoy this outrageously naughty addition to the holiday shelves.—Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

School Library Journal

2018-08-20

A rollicking adventure awaits as Magnolia races into a store with her Christmas list trailing behind her.

In the vein of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, this cumulative story explains why "pirates are on the naughty list." Magnolia is superexcited to meet Santa at the mall. The little girl decides to let a "bearded guy with a red suit and a bag full of treasures" who is definitely not Santa (he's fishing pennies out of a fountain) join her family in the long line, promising her father that she'll teach the pirate some manners. There'll be no pillaging or plundering in the Santa line! But the pirate isn't interested in manners. He bellows, "OOOOOOOOOH! / A hog-eye ship! And a hog-eye crew! / A hog-eye mate! And a skipper too!" at the top of his lungs, alarming the other people in line. The pirate is highly entertaining, the father oblivious, and the wait seemingly endless. But Magnolia takes charge until the pirate "changes his scurvy ways." Fun, brightly colored illustrations (digitally drawn and painted) are perfect for the cartoonlike characters with exaggerated features. Varied perspectives amp the silliness high. The pirate epitomizes the conflicted feelings of a kid wanting to be patient and good so that their parents will reward them and bursting out with loud, bad behavior because they just can't sit still. Magnolia, who appears to be Asian, is the oldest sibling in her interracial family; both Santa and the pirate present white.

Fans of the Magnolia Says Don't! series and of mild chaos will get a kick out of this. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews