Edward and the Pirates by David McPhail
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Elise for more wonderful Children Book Reviews.
First of all, my book review will not do this book justice. Lastly, even if you do not have boys, boys interested in pirates, a child learning to read, you should still get this book to read yourself. Excellent. Now for the review...
Edward has learned to read. There is no stopping his reading. He reads everything from the cereal box, to seed catalogs, to monuments and books "all kinds of books." He encourages Admiral Peary, he helps rescue Robin Hood, and he stands by Joan of Arc. From here to the end of the book each page shows Edward in the present with his imagination artfully included in the page. You will even see a dinosaur peeking in his window and feel a ship bump his bed. The library is his second favorite place. He has his own library card and can get books. He goes to the library and finds an old book covered with dust and blows the dust off. He starts to read "Some pirate treasure has never been found." Then the librarian tells him it is time to go home. He goes to bed early that night taking the book with him. Then his room is crowded with Pirates. They have come for the book. "I can't give it to you," Edward explained. "It's checked out on
my library card - you'll have to wait til I return it." They begged, pleaded but Edward stood firm. Now he has to walk the plank with one last chance to give it to them. "Better be quiet," he warned the pirates, "or you'll wake up my mom and dad." Now the fun part really begins in the book. "Edward had just finised speaking when the door to his room burst open and someone riding a huge white horse charged in. It was Edward's mother. She was dressed in a shining suit of armor and was carrying a lance. She pinned the sword-waving pirate to the wall. But then the other pirates drew their swords and closed in for the attack!" "Suddenly a flurry of arrows flew through the air, knocking all the swords away. A fuigure dressed in a green tunic bounded into the room, bow drawn, arrows at the ready. It was Edward's father!" "Back off!" he commanded the pirates. "Go stand in the corner." The pirates pleaded. Edward backs up the pirates by explaining they only came for the book and did not want to hurt anyone. He hands them the book. The pirates whisper among themselves and hand it back to Edward. "It's of no use to us," [the lead pirate] said sadly. "We can't read." "You can't read?" asked Edward. "Not one word," answered the pirate. "None of us can."So Edward gets permission from his parents. They give him some rules and head to bed. Edward begins to read "Some pirate treasure has never been found..."
