FICTION

Pirate's Lullaby: Mutiny at Bedtime

by Marcie WESSELS
illus. by Tim Bowers. 32p. ebook available. Doubleday. Aug. 2015. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780385385329. LC 2014029947.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1—It's bedtime, and pirate Papa tries to coax a not-so-sleepy Ned into his bunk. Reluctantly he performs his bedtime rituals like swabbing the deck, stowing the gear, and locking the treasure chest. Ned tries to prolong the inevitable, asking for a drink and a story. They eventually settle down, and Papa climbs into bed with Ned to read to him. The only thing Ned hears, though, is Papa's snores, because he has fallen asleep. The rhyming text is filled with pirate dialect, which adds whimsy and fun to the story. Endpapers share the same pattern as Ned's pajama shirt.
VERDICT A serviceable addition to bedtime collections, especially for budding buccaneers.
Reviewed by Emily E. Lazio, The Smithtown Special Library District, NY
After "swab[bing] the deck" and "batten[ing] down the hatches" (cleaning his room), young pirate Ned mutinies against bedtime by losing "Captain Teddy," climbing the mast, and demanding a drink and a "yarn" from Papa Pirate. The illustrations are soft and dreamy, encouraging readers to follow Ned and Papa to bed, but the pirate conceit wears thin and the meter wobbles at times.
 , Aug 01, 2015

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