Captain Barbosa and the Pirate Hat Chase

April 1, 2019

K-Gr 3-Captain Barbosa is a pirate sailing the seas with his ragtag group of animal friends. One day a seagull flies onto their ship and steals the captain's favorite hat. The captain and his crew face sea monsters and treacherous weather in search of the hat, and when they finally find it, a surprise awaits. This wordless graphic novel is fun and easy to follow. The artwork is soft and bright, and the palette is pleasant and works well with the seafaring theme. The characters are expressive and appealing, which adds humor to the narrative. VERDICT Fans of graphic novels and funny adventure stories will enjoy making up the words to this wordless tale.-Ellen Conlin, Naperville Public Library, IL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2019
When a sea gull snatches his hat, a pirate sets out to get it back.A stern chase is a long chase, as this wordless import (from Spain) demonstrates. Enraged by the theft of his skull-and-crossbones hat, the captain charges off in a ship crewed by an elephant, a crocodile, and a mosquito. Various adventures later, from a storm to an encounter with a huge, green, one-eyed sea monster, the pursuers catch up at last--only to find the hat repurposed into a nursery. Fans of Jon Klassen's hat dramas may be disappointed by what happens next: The captain shrugs, hugs the provident parent, and departs with a friendly wave. The white captain's massive orange beard shines out from González's loosely drawn and brushed nautical scenes; with that to focus on, even younger viewers should have no trouble sailing through the sequential panels. That the sea monster is entirely benign and even helpful also adds to the story's friendliness to the younger edge of the audience range. Humor abounds, from the absurd casting choices for Barbosa's crew to the moment when the chortling mariners add an orange pigtailed wig to the captain's exposed, bald pate.A droll, rather sweet addition to the flood of "I want my hat back" tales. (Graphic adventure. 4-6)

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