Bad Pirate (Bad Pirate #1)

Wicked smart pacing and playful art tell the tale of a pirate too doggone loyal for her own good....In a story so packed with piratical jargon and growls that even the most staid and sorry landlubbers will become salty dogs while reading it, it's Griffiths' art that takes the wave-swept narrative to another level....Arrrrguably the best piratical dogfight you'll ever sink your teeth into.

Winters spreads loads of drama and humor throughout, and Griffiths' expert illustrations are vibrantly colored and posed. Landlubbers will discover fun details upon multiple readings, which will be welcome as this charming moral turnaround tale is accomplished without a sugar coating. These are despicable sea dogs after all!

PreS-Gr 2—Among the sea dogs (literal dogs in pirate clothing) on her father's ship, August Garrick is a very bad pirate. Her kind, polite, and helpful actions win her a lecture. "To be a good pirate, yez gots to be saucy," says Captain Garrick. "And yez gots to be bold. But most important, me sea pup, yez gots to be SELFISH!" Scully, a bull terrier with a wooden leg, will see to it, or the Captain will feed him to the fish. So Augusta throws Scully's peg-leg out a porthole while he's sleeping, hoping this selfish act will make her father proud. That night a terrible storm comes up and rips the sails. The ship lists and takes on water. Just as the crew is ready to abandon ship, Augusta climbs the rigging and takes charge. "Less speed!" she calls. "Lads, help me reef the sails!" They obey her, and the ship is saved. Her proud father hugs her. "Augusta, yez be the best pirate I'z ever known—saucy, bold, and SELFLESS!" With its nautical terms and pirate speak, this book is a delight to read aloud. The full color artwork is rich in detail, and the expressive canine faces of captain and crew will bring smiles. VERDICT This seagoing tale with its endearing heroine will be a sure hit with youngsters.—Mary Jean Smith, formerly at Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

About Bad Pirate

2016 Rainforest of Reading Award Winner

2017 Chocolate Lily Book Award shortlist

"This delightful pirate spoof uses vocabulary in an interesting way to develop the story....It is highly recommended for both a classroom and school library collection."—Resource Links Magazine

"Kari-Lynn Winters' text is as spirited as Augusta herself, sprinkled liberally with pirate slang and nautical terms (all helpfully explained on the endpapers). Veteran artist Dean Griffiths' clever illustrations are filled with movement, drama, and visual jokes."—Quill & Quire

"OK, me hearties! Gather round for a good old rollicking pirate yarn, one with a twist...The text begs to read aloud by a parent or teacher with great dramatic flourish and a pirate accent...As always, Griffiths' artwork is outstanding. The lively text is wonderfully complemented with high-spirited and energetic drawings...a feisty, fun tale."—CM Magazine

"Kari-Lynn Winters is known for her fun, rhythmic language and Bad Pirate is no exception. Using repetition and boisterous words, Winters makes everyone feel like an old sea dog...Whether ye be saucy, bold, kindhearted - or all three - Bad Pirate is a rollicking read-aloud that will please the pirate in everyone."—National Reading Campaign

"The text is salted with the voice of pirates - though nicely scrubbed for young ears and eyes - and the fluency of a sea shanty. And Dean Griffiths makes sure that his bold illustrations transport the reader to the swaying decks of that pirate ship..."—CanLit for LittleCanadians

"Dog characters who form the crew and the dilemma of one who doesn't fit in makes for a lively discourse on the possibilities of courage and difference in a pirate's set ways."—Children's Bookwatch

"Written in the jargon and accent of a true pirate, this book is a great read aloud book that will keep young children entertained. The illustrations are large and colorful so children hearing this book at a story hour in a library will be able to see the pictures with no problem....Children who love pirates and have read the Good Pirate book will love this book."—Youth Services Book Review

"Capt. Barnacle demands that the crew, including his daughter, be Rotten, Sneaky and Brainy in the Good Pirate book and Saucy, Bold and Selfish in the Bad Pirate book. How these commands are obeyed is illustrated in some of the most captivating seafaring dog drawings and captain-fearing adventures. You will be intrigued by the bombastic captain with his menacing hook, his free-spirited daughter who loves vanilla as a perfume, and the life of the pirate dogs."—Vermont Country Sampler