“Good Pirate receives fun drawings by Dean Griffiths, who brings to life the story of a dog pirate who just is too good to be inconsiderate….A fun survey, this doggy pirate show is a fun pick with its oversized, colorful drawings and cartoon-like ‘balloon’ conversations between very different pirates.”
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“What did you like about the book? Written in the jargon and accent of a true pirate, this book is a great read aloud book that will keep young children entertained. The illustrations are large and colorful so children hearing this book at a story hour in a library will be able to see the pictures with no problem. This is a story of a pack of dog pirates who are off to plunder and pillage. One of the crew, the captain’s daughter is an unlikely pillager as she is more concerned with more frilly things. When she saves the day by rescuing the rest of the dogs from the mangy pirate cats, she shows how clever a frilly pirate can be….
To Whom Would You Recommend this book? This is recommended for ages 5-8. Children who love pirates and have read the “Bad Pirate” book will love this book.
Who should buy this book? This would be good for elementary school libraries and public libraries that have a children’s section….
Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? yes”
—Sandra Pacheco, ESL teacher, Washington, D.C.
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Rotten, sneaky and brainy: Everyone knows a successful pirate needs to be all of those.…Winters’s pirate lingo sounds fun and even original, and Griffiths’s expressive dogs and cats in pirate garb are both realistically pet-like and evocative of squirmy children at play.
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A vast crew of pirates descended on Ella Minnow Children’s Bookstore to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day with Kari-Lynn Winters, author of Bad Pirate. Special thanks to our mateys at Ella Minnow and at The Beaches Bake Shop and Café, who donated some tasty provisions for the day.
“Among the sea dogs (literally dogs in pirate clothing) on her father’s ship, August Garrick is a very bad pirate. Her kind, polite, and helpful actions win her a lecture. “To be a good pirate, yez gots to be saucy,” says captain Garrick. “And yez gots to be bold. But most important, me sea pup, yez gots to be selfish!” Scully, a bull terrier with a wood leg, will see to it, or the captain will feed him to the fish. So Augusta throws Scully’s peg-leg out a porthole while he’s sleeping, hoping this selfish act will make her father proud. That night a terrible storm comes up and rips the sails. The ship lists and takes on water. Just as the crew is ready to abandon ship, Augusta climbs the rigging and takes charge. “Less speed!” she calls. “Lads, help me reef the sails!” They obey her, and the ship is saved. Her proud father hugs her. “Augusta, yez be the best pirate I’z ever known—saucy, bold, and selfless!” This book with its nautical terms and pirate speak is a delight to read aloud. The full color artwork is rich in detail, and the expressive canine faces of captain and crew will bring smiles.
VERDICT This seagoing tale with its endearing heroine will be a sure hit with youngsters.”
“Wicked smart pacing and playful art tell the tale of a pirate too doggone loyal for her own good. Capt. Barnacle Garrick may be the scurviest cur (literally—he’s a springer spaniel) to sail the seven seas, but his blue-eyed daughter Augusta is kind, considerate, and caring. In short, she’s a very bad pirate indeed. Disgusted—she’s more inclined to tuck her bunkmates in than to commit basic forms of piracy—her father admonishes her to “be saucy…bold….But most important, me sea pup, yez gots to be SELFISH!” Augusta tries by purloining a fellow shipmate’s peg leg, but when a squall and a torn mainsail mean almost certain sinking, the feisty sea pup teaches her father and his crew that sometimes it pays to be saucy, bold, and selfless. In a story so packed with piratical jargon and growls that even the most staid and sorry landlubbers will become salty dogs while reading it, it’s Griffiths’ art that takes the wave-swept narrative to another level. Augusta’s charm goes far, and each breed of canine is rendered with a loving hand. Even more delightful are the tiny details. From Augusta’s surreptitious carving of a new peg leg to Garrick’s battles with uniformed mice in an early vignette, young readers will see something new with each turn of the page. Arrrrguably the best piratical dogfight you’ll ever sink your teeth into. (Picture book. 4-6)”
“The text begs to read aloud by a parent or teacher with great dramatic flourish and a pirate accent. Words that describe different character traits are highlighted for emphasis. The slang and nautical terms are included on the endpapers….As always, Griffiths’ artwork is outstanding. The lively text is wonderfully complemented with high-spirited and energetic drawings, full of bold colours and great detail. Bad Pirate is artfully designed. Much of the pirate dialogue cleverly appears on floating pieces of sail. The pirates’ being portrayed as very expressive dogs has a dynamic comic effect. Various breeds are cleverly used, and these delightful “sea dogs” should require a second look. Griffiths also makes use of many different perspectives to simulate vibrant sea action.
Both writer and illustrator have many children’s books and awards to their credit. Their depth of experience and creative ability results in a feisty, fun tale. Recommended.”
—Reesa Cohen
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“Captain Barnacle is a good pirate: he’s saucy, bold, and selfish. So is his scurvy-ridden crew. His daughter, Augusta, however, is good natured and helpful, and thus a terrible pirate. When she offers to fix a rip in their ship’s sail, she is chastised for being too nice. Her father roars, “If I find a kindhearted matey on board, yez be the one feedin’ the fishes!” In an effort to please her father and show she can be bad, Augusta throws fellow pirate Scully’s peg leg overboard, though she feels sick with guilt afterward.
When a storm threatens the ship, Augusta defies orders and scurries up the rigging to repair the sail, averting disaster and proving she can be saucy and bold without being selfish. Her altruistic actions cause her father to revise his rules and opinion of what makes a good pirate.
This is a delightful book with a take-charge female protagonist who rejects her father’s expectations of stereotypical behavior and remains true to her own values. Kari-Lynn Winters’ text is as spirited as Augusta herself, sprinkled liberally with pirate slang and nautical terms (all helpfully explained on the endpapers). Veteran artist Dean Griffiths’ clever illustrations are filled with movement, drama, and visual jokes, often depicting the action from different perspectives (atop the main mast, water level outside the ship). The characters are dogs of different breeds dressed as pirates—a visual pun on the term “sea dogs”—and have wonderfully expressive, human-like faces. Captain Garrick wears a hook in place of one paw—a sly reference to the infamous Captain Hook…[T]his rollicking story will charm pirate fans young and old.
—Joanne Findon, a writer in Peterborough, Ontario.