Archie and the Pirates [Hardcover]

Marc Rosenthal (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2009 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Ahoy, landlubbers, prepare yerselves for a rip-roaring adventure . . . with a shipwrecked monkey, a sweet-singing ibis, a ferocious tiger, and a band of rough, smelly, no-good pirates! Coconuts fly, danger lurks, and only one clever monkey can save the day: Archie!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Marc Rosenthal is an acclaimed designer and sequential artist, the author and illustrator of Phooey! (a Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of the Year), and the illustrator of Yo, Aesop! (written by his brother, Paul Rosenthal), The Runaway Beard, The Absentminded Fellow, and Dig! In 2001, The New Yorker's Art Spiegelman asked Mr. Rosenthal to try his hand at comics, and the result was published in Little Lit: Strange Stories for Strange Kids. Mr. Rosenthal lives in the Berkshires with his wife, Eileen, his son, Willem, and Pete the Cat. He is also a fan of pirates and sometimes speaks like them.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061441643
• ISBN-13: 978-0061441646
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #723,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming monkey and his friends, August 30, 2010

By 

Texas Annie (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Archie and the Pirates (Hardcover)

This is a delightful book about an extremely resourceful monkey named Archie, who finds himself shipwrecked on an island, but goes on to find friends and defeat some nasty pirates -- every kid's dream. My preschooler kids love this book (though they find the pirates a tad disturbing -- probably because Daddy did the pirate "Aaargh!" a little too convincingly). I got on Amazon to try and find more Archie books, hoping there would be a string of them, but alas, this is the one and only! Please, Mr. Rosenthal, write and draw more of these charming Archie books!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Curious George-esque adventure!, September 15, 2010

By 

PuroShaggy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Archie and the Pirates (Hardcover)

I read this book to my 1st grade class to the first time (all of our first times) and they not only loved the book, but have been obsessing over the pictures and the story ever since.

Archie is a monkey who wakes up one day (his bed floats on the ocean) and discovers that he is stranded on a beach. He has a close encounter with a tiger (who befriends him), builds a clever tree-house (the many details of my students love to look at and discuss), and then meets a bird. Life is good and Archie is happy with his new home and friends. Then one morning he wakes up and discovers pirates! Pirates who have captured his friend the tiger. Springing into action, Archie and his bird friend devise a scheme (complete with elaborately drawn plans) to free the tiger and rid the island of the pirates.

The story is fun, exciting, with a hint of danger, and emphasizes the importance of friendship and rewards the idea of clever thinking throughout the tale. Archie looks quite similar to Curious George, but where George always gets into trouble before doing good, Archie lives a peaceful life and deals with the troubles that come his way.

Excellent illustrations, a detailed but not too elaborate story, and an all around good read for elementary students.

5.0 out of 5 stars This is delightful adventure story that your imaginative youngster is going to want you to read to them time and time again!, February 8, 2010

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Archie and the Pirates (Hardcover)

Archie lay on his bed in the middle of the ocean blue and in the distance an ocean liner sailed away. The little monkey was in dream land and he didn't awaken until his bed washed up one the shores of a "strange beach." The only things around him were a bunch of coconut trees and one lone crab who seemed to be as surprised to see Archie as Archie was surprised to find himself on the island. He sat on a rock and looked very sad, but was quickly startled when he heard a big ROAR. He quickly scampered up to the top of a coconut tree and saw a "dangerous-looking tiger" who had come "searching for a meal."

Later, when the scary tiger left, he began to build himself a fabulous tree house in the coconut grove. After he was done, he met Clarice, an ibis who had been watching him. Archie not only had a new tree house, he had a new friend. Beatrice, his next friend scared him half to death when she leapt at him. He thought he was a goner, but she unexpectedly gave him a "big wet kiss" instead of eating him up. Beatrice was that ferocious tiger and SLURP . . . he now had two friends! Life was good on the island until one day some nasty pirates came and captured and tortured Beatrice. "HAR . . . HAR . . . HAR!" Archie and Clarice were very scared and didn't quite know how to save her. Would Beatrice be taken away on the pirate ship to shores unknown or would they be able to hatch a plan and save her?

This is delightful adventure story that your imaginative youngster is going to want to pore over or have you read time and time again. Archie, of course reminded me of Curious George and could have been his peer in the adventure department. The unlikely band of friends and their island home are what childhood dreams are made of. The artwork is busy, colorful and detailed scenes such as the inside of Archie's home make this book lots of fun. I especially liked the ingenious bed that can be turned into a breakfast table. This shipwrecked monkey and crew are hit in my neck of the woods and are sure to be in yours!