How to Be a Pirate
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A National Bestseller!
"A beautiful, generous, fun collaboration of story and illustration and pirate tattoos. Seriously wise pirate advice for everyone." - Jon Scieszka, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature
CeCe dreams of being a pirate. When the neighborhood boys tell her that she can't, she wonders where to begin. Luckily, she suspects her grandpa must know something about being a pirate--why else would he have all those tattoos?
As he shares each tattoo, Grandpa and CeCe are transported from adventure to adventure, and CeCe discovers that there are all kinds of ways to be a pirate--Be BRAVE! Be QUICK! Be INDEPENDENT! And FUN!--and most of all, whether you're a pirate or not, the most important thing you can do is to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.
This heartwarming and imaginative story from Isaac Fitzgerald and bestselling illustrator Brigette Barrager is a vibrant, joyful expression of what it means to be all kinds of wonderful things . . . including a pirate.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The boys won't let CeCe play pirate, so she runs to her seafaring grandfather to get the lowdown on what it takes to yo-ho-ho. Using his tattoos as visual aids, Grandpa describes all the qualities a great pirate must possess. On one muscular arm is inked a majestic ship; a pirate must be "BRAVE!" he says, and CeCe imagines the cozy kitchen, rendered in muted tones, as a prow barreling through spiral-scrolled, fish-festooned waves. A tattoo of a panther illustrates a pirate's need for speed; CeCe imagines swinging on a jungle vine, "ready to react to danger at any moment." But most important, Grandpa says, is having the confidence that comes from being loved and he has the heart-shaped tattoo inscribed with "CeCe" to prove it. Fitzgerald (Pen & Ink for adults) and Barrager (Vlad the Rad) hit their closing self-esteem message a little bluntly at the end ("I'm brave! I'm quick! I'm independent, and I'm fun!" CeCe shouts), and the inclusion of a winking Spanish dancer tattoo as emblematic of "fun" strikes an odd note, but the pages are filled with bright colors, soaring spirits, and a timely feminist message. Ages 3 6.
