A Pirate's Night Before Christmas [Hardcover]

Philip Yates (Author), Sebastia Serra (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Young mateys will find plenty of holiday joy in this humorous, colorful, and thoroughly piratical version of the beloved Clement C. Moore classic. On this ship of mischievous brigands—who have visions of treasure chests, not sugarplums, dancing in their heads—you wouldn’t expect a visit from nice St. Nick. Instead, here comes Sir Peggedy, with his peg leg and hook arm, cracking his whip and driving eight giant seahorses: Salty, Scurvy, Sinbad, Mollie, Cutthroat, Cross-Eyes, Roger, and Jolly.
Philip Yates’ rollicking rhymes and Sebastià Serra’s sprightly, fun-filled pictures—featuring whimsically multicolored seahorses, stockings hung on the ship’s bowsprit with tar, child-friendly pirates, and a complete treasure map—turn this Christmas perennial into a jubilant celebration!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3–This rollicking, seafaring version of Moore's poem will give pirate fans a chuckle while not exactly establishing itself as a Christmas classic. The adapted rhymes scan fairly well: 'Twas the night before Christmas aboard the Black Sark./Not a creature was stirrin', not even a shark!/The stockin's were stuck to the bowsprit with tar,/In hopes that Sir Peggedy soon would be thar. The pencil and ink illustrations have a vibrant, cluttered humor that is reminiscent of, though not as well executed as, those of Lane Smith. Sir Peg himself is a little hard to make out as a person, but this is a fun addition to the subgenre of wacky adaptations of the classic.–Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library
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About the Author

Philip Yates is the co-author of several popular joke and riddle books for Sterling, as well as a playwright who has won a Council of the Arts grant for his work. His first children's picture book received widespread critical praise. Sebastia Serra studied Fine Arts at the Universitat de Barcelona and is the illustrator of numerous picture books. His awards include: a First Award at the International Festival Videomedic '94; the Junceda Prize from the Professional Association of Illustrators of Catalonia and many others.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402742576
• ISBN-13: 978-1402742576
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 10.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 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: #490,528 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A Pirate's Night Before Christmas is Philip's second picture book. His first, Ten Little Mummies, was nominated for the Black-Eyed Susan Picture Book Award. Ten Little Mummies was hailed by Horn book as "cheerfully offbeat addition to the genre," while Booklist called the book "an excellent read-aloud." Philip is the the co-author, with Matt Rissinger, of several books of humor for children, including Biggest Joke Book in the World, Great Book of Zany Jokes, and World's Silliest Jokes. Two new books of humor will also be out this fall, Galaxy's Greatest Giggles and Nuttiest Knock-Knocks. His poetry has appeared in Lee Bennett Hopkins' anthology, Dino Roars.

Philip's father was the first director of Dick Clark's American Bandstand and his mother was the prime jokester who inspired him with her jokes and witticisms.

Philip lives with his wife, Maria in Austin, Texas with their cat, Johnnie.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful gift for the holidays, October 28, 2008

By 

Karen (Austin TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Pirate's Night Before Christmas (Hardcover)

I can't think of a better Christmas gift for a child than this book. It is beautifully illustrated, full of color and life with a wonderful tale based on "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." The pictures are rich with detail as the story is told in very clever rhyme and rhythm, full of pirate lingo and charming characters. This book is a fun introduction to poetry for any small child and a lovely picture book for any collection. I look forward to reading this book with the children of all of my friends as their Christmas present.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable! What a great book for young pirate lovers., November 30, 2008

By 

E. Tuckey (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Pirate's Night Before Christmas (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my 4 year old godson since he loves pirates. He is an incredibly picky kid though and it takes alot to impress him. I gave this book to him on Thanksgiving and he LOVED it! I read it to him atleast 5 times while I was with him and he has his parents reading it to him every night.

This is a very well written children's book and even had the adults laughing. He loved the very colorful interesting pictures and the pirates dictionary in the back ( though he already knew what all the pirate words meant).It's a big hit with him and I'm sure it would be for any child who likes pirates.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Pirate's Night Before Christmas, November 29, 2008

By 

C. A. Gutowski (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Pirate's Night Before Christmas (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my niece's fourth birthday. I read the book myself before giving it to my niece. The book was not only an enjoyable read, but it was beautifully illustrated as well. I LOVED this book and was certain my niece would too. I also bought a pirate's hat to give her along with the book. She loved both the hat and the book!! I'm sure she will enjoy this book for many Christmases to come. I highly recommend this book for all the little pirates out there!