Tough Boris - Hardcover

Fox, Mem

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152896120 ISBN 13: 9780152896126

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers, 1994

Synopsis

Boris von der Borch is a mean, greedy old pirate--tough as nails, through and through, like all pirates. Or is he? When a young boy sneaks onto Boris’s ship, he discovers that even pirates cry. And so does he.

About this title

About the Author

MEM FOX is the author of many acclaimed books, including Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, Possum Magic, Koala Lou, Time for Bed, and, for adults, Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever. She lives in Adelaide, Australia.

Kathryn Brown lives in western Massachusetts.

From Booklist

Ages 4-8. This picture book is full of surprises, both in the simple text and in the dramatic underlying story the pictures tell. On one level, it's a celebration of a glorious villain; like all pirates, tough Boris is massive and scruffy and greedy and fearless and scary. Brown's bold watercolor paintings show him in all his hideous glory, huge bristles sticking out of his chin, anger in his eyes, cutlass in his hand, as he handles his motley crew. But when his parrot dies, "he cried and cried. All pirates cry." As you go back over the pictures, you notice that his cheeky green parrot has always been with Boris, usually on his shoulder or perched on a finger. You also notice another whole story, not mentioned in the text. A small barefoot boy with a violin case stows away on the pirate ship. Tough Boris makes the boy play his instrument, and all the fierce crew members stand still and listen. When Boris' parrot dies, the boy and the pirate grieve together, their shoulders bowed. The boy also cries at the end when the pirate ship brings him back home and leaves him with his violin and bow alone on the shore. Unfortunately, the design is confusing; the boy appears on the imprint page but then remains hidden until the middle of the book; some kids may be puzzled about where he comes from. However, for those who look carefully, the wordless story is a poignant counterpoint to the swashbuckling adventure scenes. Hazel Rochman

About this edition

• Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0152896120
• ISBN 13: 9780152896126
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Brown Kathryn