Dave Horowitz’s swashbuckling cut-paper artwork is packed with clever details in this epic companion to his popular Twenty-six Princesses. This rhyming alphabet book is chock full of fun as 26 mischievous pirates head to Captain Frogbeard’s ship where they hope to join the crew—and the fun! From Arty to Zach, the Pirates of the Alphabet are the most colorful crew on the high seas! PreS-Gr 1-Despite appealingly piratical illustrations, this swashbuckling title is thin on story and unsuccessful as an alphabet book. Each letter is represented by a boy's name, followed by a rhyming statement about him. It begins, "Pirate Arty. First to the party" and ends with, "Pirate Zach. The final attack." While the concept is clever enough, the names are written in a medieval-style type, preventing easy recognition by youngsters learning their letters. Additionally, the name choices are not always effective at presenting the appropriate sounds. The most problematic is the letter "J," Pirate Juan, which does not make the English "j" sound. The humorous collage illustrations are grotesquely cartoonish, slightly reminiscent of the work of David Shannon or Victoria Chess. The multicultural boys have huge, blocklike teeth, oversize heads, semicircle noses, and googly eyes. Busily doing everything from eating, to swimming, to walking the plank, they are joined on every page by bug-eyed frogs that add to the humor and tie the story together. The art will likely be a big hit with pirate fans everywhere, and a few sophisticated asides will appeal to parents, but those hoping for a plot or in search of books for an alphabet bin will need to look elsewhere.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CTα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. The inside of the dust jacket informs the reader that Captain Frogbeard requires a crew for an “alphabetical journey, no rules, good rhymes, big adventure, bigger squids, safe return not guaranteed.” Twenty-six boys, named from A to Z, join the incumbent crew of frogs for swashbuckling high jinks (although it should be noted that we do not actually see Pirate Nat, who lost his hat—just the fly-away lid). The fun of the book is in the illustrations and the rhymes created around each boy’s name: “Pirate Chuck. Pushing his luck”; “Pirate Owen. Where’s he going?”; “Pirate Ulysses. Swims with the fishies.” The cut-paper illustrations are silly and appealing, with the expressions of the bug-eyed frogs providing a sort of visual Greek chorus to the escapades of the boys. The lack of girl pirates is unfortunate but understandable if this is viewed as a bookend to Twenty-Six Princesses (2008)—though some girls will undoubtedly prefer pirates to princesses. Sure to be a hit with buccaneers and landlubbers alike. Preschool-Grade 1. --Kara Dean * “These 26 cleverly illustrated and unexpected rhyming name choices are bound to tickle readers’ timbers. . . . The illustrations of construction paper, charcoal and colored pencils have a collage effect with comic exaggeration. . . . These little-boy buccaneers display a nice range of skin colors and hair textures. . . . Aye mateys, heave-ho with this bounty of pirate silliness.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review Dave Horowitz (www.horowitzdave.com) wrote and illustrated Twenty-six Princesses (and about a dozen other children’s favorites, including The Ugly Pumpkin, Five Little Gefiltes, Humpty Dumpty Climbs Again and Chico the Brave ). He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley. Used Book in Good Condition