The Barefoot Book of PIRATES - Hardcover

Walker, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1901223795 ISBN 13: 9781901223798

Publisher: Barefoot Books, 1998

Synopsis

This swashbuckling collection of pirate tales is brimful with drama and adventure on the high seas. Young children will meet fierce characters such as the captain in the German tale, Kobold and the Pirates; others, like young Mochimitsu in the Japanese tale, are friendly and funny. They will also meet the infamous Grace O Malley, one of Ireland s most feared pirates. Specially compiled for young readers, these tales are perfect for reading aloud.

About this title

About the Author:

Walker is a professional storyteller and freelance broadcaster and writer who has told his stories all over the UK.

From Publishers Weekly:

Plumbing the storytelling traditions of diverse cultures, from Japan to Morocco to Persia, both Walker and Matthews come up with treasure for this smashing pair of themed anthologies. While a few tales are standards (e.g., "The Princess and the Pea," "Sleeping Beauty"), most are not. It will be news to most readers, for example, that Robin Hood once took a seaside holiday ("Robin Hood and the Pirates"), and that the list of famous swashbucklers includes an Irish woman ("Pirate Grace"). Many of the princesses, too, deviate from familiar patterns. The Chinese "Beggar Princess" survives an attempted drowning by her new husband, only to rise above him; a picky Iroquois princess atones for a foolish decision through her brave deeds ("The Horned Snake's Wife"). The prose in both volumes is top-notch?richly embellished and seamless. Whelan's effervescent artwork recalls Jane Ray's in composition, color and use of detail and borders. She tailors her delicate watercolors to each story's country of origin. "The Abbey Bells," for instance, a Scottish pirate tale, features plaid ship's sails. Each story is presented against a different background page color, and tiny thumbnail illustrations hover about the page numbers (a pair of violins for "Music Charms the Pirates"; ankle bracelets and crown for the African "Princess Who Lost Her Hair"). Superbly executed, these buoyant volumes are must-haves for storytellers and folk- and fairy-tale fans. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Barefoot Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 1901223795
• ISBN 13: 9781901223798
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 63
• Illustrator: Whelan Olwyn