Shiver Me Timbers! Pirate Poems and Paintings

Shiver Me Timbers! Pirate Poems and Paintings
by Douglas Florian, illustrated by Robert Neubecker
Beach Lane Books, 2012. Unpaged. Poetry

Douglas Florian is a name to conjure with in children's poetry---the best of the best. And he hits the mark once again with poems about pirates. "Pirate Patter" is by way of being a pirate glossary: "Pillage means to raid or seize. There is no pirate word for please." Florian's poems with Neubecker's bright, child-pleasing illustrations tell the story of the pirate who buried treasure in his youth but when he comes back for it, the X marking the spot is gone and he has forgotten where it is. The markings on pirate flags are also explained: "Heart pierced by a knife;/ Best fear fer your life!
. . . Two bones that are crossed:/ All soon will be lost! . . . Half a skeleton's head/ We ran out of white thread!" Bound to please aspiring young pirates, of whom there be many score, this book would make a grand read-aloud, fun for grownups and kids alike.

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