Henry & the Buccaneer Bunnies [Hardcover]

Carolyn Crimi (Author), John Manders (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: September 13, 2005 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Lexile Measure: 910L (What's this?)

Step aboard, buccaneers and book lovers! Comically dramatic illustrations set the tone for this humorous, hare-raising adventure on the high seas.

"BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES!"

Aboard a ship called the Salty Carrot sails a wild, rowdy band of Buccaneer Bunnies. Their leader, Barnacle Black Ear, is the baddest bunny brute of all time, but his son refuses to perform his proper pirating duties. Henry would rather read books than shout "Shiver me timbers!" or make prisoners walk the plank — even if it means he has to swab the decks as punishment. But when a crashing, bashing, thrashing wildcat of a storm threatens the Salty Carrot and its crew, will Henry and his landlubbin' library save the day?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2–Henry is not a typical buccaneer bunny. Instead of performing his proper pirating duties, he would rather read the books that he took from other ships. His father, the captain, is not proud of his son and the rest of the crew makes fun of him. When they are shipwrecked on a deserted island, however, it is Henry and his book smarts that save the day. Although the plot is weak, the illustrations are fresh and comical, and send a clear message about the importance of reading.–Lisa S. Schindler, Bethpage Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. As the pirate ship The Salty Carrot sails the high seas, all of the rabbit pirates pitch in to help with the duties except Henry, the captain's son, who prefers to read. After their ship succumbs to a storm, the rabbits find that Henry's trunks of books can act as life rafts, which transport them to a desert island. On land, Henry's vast book learning becomes invaluable, and he provides the rabbit crew with food, shelter, and a means of escape. Manders' watercolor, gouache, and pencil illustrations are the highlight of this effort. His rabbit pirates have huge buckteeth and look especially comical toward the end of the book, when they are elaborately decked out in eighteenth-century finery, including feathered hats and lace trim. Bookworm Henry is rather stereotypically portrayed with huge glasses hung from a string. A story on the joys and usefulness of reading is nothing new, but the funny Buccaneer Bunnies should provide some interest, even to children who are not inspired by the lesson. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; First Edition edition (September 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763624497
• ISBN-13: 978-0763624491
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 0.4 x 11.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #780,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Chock Full of Laughs and Fun March 14, 2007

By A. Bonfield

Format:Hardcover

This book is classically funny and has a wonderful message for readers of all ages. In this day and age of computer technology it's wonderful to be able to show younger children that books and reading are still the most important learning tool and can get you out of almost any predicament you are in.

In regards to the negative reviews regarding the dry humor (Rabbitson Caruso etc) that actually gave a wonderful opening to share the original historical characters as well as the classic books with my younger children. So they became interested in reading them when they got older.

The "dog" incident was so minor I didnt even notice it til I read the review here but I personally look at it as they dont show them "eating or killing a dog" so its no different than Elmer Fudd talking about turning Bugs Bunny into Rabbit Stew to a child.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hurray for the geeks September 25, 2006

By Regina Phalange

Format:Hardcover

This book is hilarious, wonderfully illustrated, and rich in delicious, pirate-like language. This is a light-hearted tale that illustrates why everyone needs to read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love Pirates.... December 18, 2011

By DW

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a Christmas present for my son who has been asking about this book ever since he checked it out from the Library. If you have a child who loves pirates, and mine loves anything pirates...this is a great book. Good lesson about people (or rabbits in this case) being different and how if we all work together and use our differences we can make things better.