Backbeard and the Birthday Suit Book

Set sail for a hairy adventure.

Sure, pirates are rough and tough and stinky. But after one particularly rowdy birthday party, even Backbeard must admit that it's time for him to buy a new suit.

With the local clothing shop out of all the traditional pirate garb, even a pirate as ornery as Backbeard can't always get what he wants. Backbeard's unusual new birthday suit will either make him the laughingstock of the whole ship, or the most stylish pirate to ever raise the Jolly Roger.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-The crew of Backbeard's ship, Five O'Clock Shadow, has thrown him a birthday party, and a good time is had by all-scratching, spitting, breaking bottles, and singing. When the festivities are over, Backbeard is filthier than usual and decides that he needs a new suit of clothes. The shop in town is out of pirate garb, so he ends up dressed like a dandy, in a straw boater and pink waistcoat. The crew fails to recognize him, and another brawl ensues as Backbeard proves that despite his attire he is "still the hairiest pirate to sail the five seas." The dimwit jokes get old fairly quickly in this thin plot. Of more interest are McElligott's illustrations. Using pencil, fabric, photography, and digital techniques, the pictures, which keep the chaos neatly contained in frames, have a variety of textures and, in some cases, a three-dimensional effect. There are, however, many more inviting and involving pirate tales available, including Jan Adkins's What If You Met a Pirate? (Roaring Brook, 2004), Brett Helquist's Roger, the Jolly Pirate (HarperCollins, 2004), and Melinda Long's How I Became a Pirate (Harcourt, 2003), making this one a marginal addition.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.