Peggony-po: A Whale Of A Tale [Hardcover]

Andrea Davis Pinkney (Author), Brian Pinkney (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Peggony-Po is no ordinary sailor boy. From the time he was in burlap booties, he could climb the mainmast faster than you could say "there blows!" He can tie a knot to rival any of the crew and swim more swiftly than a dolphin. But the most unusual thing about Peggony-Po? He was carved from the piece of driftwood that saved his father, Galleon’s life after he tried to capture Cetus, the biggest, meanest whale of them all. Ever since the day Galleon wished upon the Northern Lights and Peggony-Po magically came to life, the boy has vowed to seek revenge on Cetus. And now, with the whole ship’s crew betting for or against him, Peggony-Po sets out to do just that.Set on an 18th century whaling ship, this is a swashbuckling original tale by an award-winning team.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 4–Told with humor and verve, this rollicking tall tale is about a wooden boy named Peggony-Po who promises to catch the monster whale that bit off his daddy's leg: after all, he caught his first whale when he was only four years old. When he goes off to capture Cetus, he eschews having a boat: a masterful illustration shows him riding a wave as he chases the whale, who ingeniously exudes attitude. Cetus rams through a school of fish, so Peggony-Po did underwater cartwheels to keep those fish from crying. He never slowed down. As Peggony-Po rides Cetus from tropical waters to icy coasts, he crows, What a way to see the world! Richly descriptive similes–as feisty as a kettle of just-caught fish and Like a pressing iron flattening a shirtsleeve–and phrases such as He [Cetus] loved to smash boats with a single slam of his tail convey dynamically both the absurdity and thrilling adventure of this story, and the illustrations brim with activity and energy. Peggony-Po dances a jig from the lookout mast, he becomes alive and starts talking to his father as he is sculpted, and Cetus blows boats into the sky and rails off a fence. Every library will want to buy at least one copy of this exuberant story that begins with a whale, ends with a whale, and has a whole lot of whale in its middle.–Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. In this original tall tale, Galleon, an African American sailor with a peg leg, takes a piece of driftwood and carves the figure of a boy, which comes to life. Galleon calls him Peggony-Po and takes him as a son. After learning that Cetus the whale ate Galleon's leg, Peggony-Po leaps into the sea to pursue the enormous creature. Their battle of strength, wits, and determination goes on for days before Peggony-Po finally defeats the whale. The boy is a feisty, likable hero, and apart from the hard-to-sing sea chantey (no tune is provided), his fast-paced story makes a good read-aloud. Full of action and almost musical, thanks to swirling lines and repeated forms, the artwork conveys a sense of both the whale's menacing size and the boy's indomitable spirit. The final page offers a short introduction to black whalers in American history, a brief glossary, and one further-reading recommendation, which is more suitable for older readers. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Jump At The Sun/Hyperion; 1St Edition edition (April 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786819588
• ISBN-13: 978-0786819584
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.1 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #787,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.