Pirates Ahoy! [Hardcover]

Hilary McKay (Author), Alex Ayliffe (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Simon and his teddy Snowdrop are off to stay at Gran's for a day and a night. So is his cousin Peter who thinks he is too big for childish things: possibly Simon and definitely teddy bears. But after spending a day turning Gran's garden into a pirate adventure playground, Peter realises that friendship comes in all shapes and sizes.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Six-year-old Peter is somewhat hesitant to spend the night at his grandmother's house with his cousin. After all, he is much too old to play with baby toys and with three-year-olds. Simon's sincerity eventually wins him over, though, and soon they are playing jungle and pirate ship. These fearless heroes survive a "shipwreck" and an attack by sharks (disguised as Gran's underwear on the clothesline) and eventually escape to the "vampire castle." By the time a "wild woman" comes and dumps them into a "boiling cauldron," the two boys have bonded. Ayliffe's bright illustrations have a flat, childlike quality that fits the youngsters' active imaginations. As the cousins become more and more engrossed in their adventures, the pictures become increasingly important, offering reassurance, for example, that the "two icebergs in the middle of the Arctic Ocean" on which the boys are "abandoned" are merely white-sheeted beds in a blue room. By the end of the story, Peter can finally admit that he, like Simon, has a favorite stuffed toy. A gentle story of imagination and family relationships.
Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, Eldersburg, MD
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This follow-up to Where's Bear? (1998) invites young readers in with bold primary colors and cutout-style illustrations. The story is engaging, too, as it explores what happens when two cousins--Peter, six and Simon, three--are invited to spend a day and night together at Gran's house. Both boys are conscious of their ages: Simon feels somewhat abashed to be with his older cousin, while Peter steadfastly holds on to the dignity of being the big guy. Their imaginative play, which transforms Gran's yard into a jungle, then an ocean, and her house into a vampire's castle, brings them closer together until they lose all thoughts of status and become contented playmates, having cocoa in bed. This is a giddy romp that manages to teach gentle lessons about maturing and the value of play. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689831145
• ISBN-13: 978-0689831140
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 9.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,306,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)