Pirasaurs!

June 6, 2016
The Pirasaurs—and, yes, they are dinosaurs who live as pirates—have a new recruit. He’s tiny, orange, and eager to please: “With lots to learn,/ I’ve got to earn/ The crew’s respect and trust./ I’ll rise in rank or/ Walk the plank.../ I hope I can adjust!” When the crew comes face to face with another pirate gang in a battle over buried treasure, it’s the new guy who shows how a little sharing can result in a big payoff. Funk (Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast) handles this mashup with just the right combination of swagger and heart; his succinct, bouncy text should inspire rollicking read-alouds. Slack’s (Race Car Count) richly textured digital artwork may, in this context, bring to mind images painted on a ship’s deck. His hero is adorable and appropriately child-like, while the toothy, bug-eyed crew is fiercely funny, especially when they are festooned with jewels and gold chains from their big haul. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Kathleen Rushall, Marsal Lyon Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words.

May 1, 2016
A small dinosaur earns the respect of a scaly crew of dino-pirates with a clever bit of conflict resolution.Slack's pictures are busy with glowering, crocodile-toothed dinos of diverse hue in full piratical regalia, and it's a good thing, as they add much-needed wind to the sails of Funk's lubberly, exclamation-mark-laden verse: "With lots to learn, / I've got to earn / The crew's respect and trust," the would-be swabbie confides. "I'll rise in rank or / Walk the plank... / I hope I can adjust!" Frantic efforts to do any shipboard task competently fail--sometimes in ways that serve meter and rhyme over actual sense: "I scrub and brush in such a rush / She throws me overboard!" Still, when half of a torn treasure map leads to an island dust-up with a rival crew of pirasaurs clutching the other half, a suggestion to share map and loot makes his "dream to join the team" come true at last: "This crew and I are linked. / With gems, doubloons, and silver spoons / We'll never go extinct!"Prehistoric pirates are always worth a play, as is the peaceable theme, but such amateurish writing merits only the old heave-ho. (Picture book. 6-8)

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September 1, 2016

K-Gr 2-What could be better than a tale of treasure and pirates at sea? Dinosaurs swabbing the decks. To the rhythm of rhyming verse, a young recruit struggles to master the tasks of a simple sailor under the tyrannical rule of Captain Rex on a ship steered by Bronto Beard, navigated by the sharp-eyed Velocimate, and served daily meals prepared by Triceracook. Unfortunately, there's a traitor on board-an underhanded pterosaur on flight from another ship, leading them blindly into ambush. Only the smallest pirasaur can see a solution to help both crews find the treasure coveted by each. Angular and toothily aggressive depictions of the pirasaur crew bring the digital cartoons to life. Shadows over a treasure map emphasize the minute hero as he nervously points to the X that marks treasure, while strong profiles of crew members catch the eye. Young readers may test their knowledge of dinosaurs and pirate traditions to identify a crew member or create the next zany pirasaur adventure on the high seas. VERDICT A rip-roaring read-aloud for storytime or small group sharing.-Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano ISD, TX

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