A swashbuckling adventure written entirely in rhyme, I was hooked from the moment George packed his pizza, sat down on his bed-come-boat, and rowed off into the ocean. Highly recommended.
George has been exploring before. He’s taken spaghetti to the yeti, marshmallows for the Martians, and doughnuts for dragons. In his fourth adventure, he’s off in search of a pirate crew and he’s again armed with a tasty snack. Pizza!
A swashbuckling adventure written entirely in rhyme, I was hooked from the moment George packed his pizza, sat down on his bed-come-boat, and rowed off into the ocean. I love the raucous parrot he befriends and especially like the way this new parrot pal helps George escape when the pair are swallowed by a whale. (No spoilers here but it might just involve a pirate joke). I was left wondering what was going to happen when George finally found his pirate crew only to discover they all thought his soggy pizza looked, to use their words, YUCK! But the unexpected use for the pizza at the end is probably one of the best things about this story.
The font size is cleverly used to add emphasis to the text and works well with Lee Wildish’s amazing art work. Young readers will get hours of pleasure studying the pictures. My personal favourite is the small poster pinned above George’s bed on the opening page that gives a ‘Guide to Pirate Beards’ including beards from ‘Viking’ to ‘Fancy’ to ‘Santa’ and ‘Villain’ each with their own miniature illustration. I also love the way the hungry sharks wave their dinner spoons threateningly as George is swept past and the little frog surfing on a log in a later illustration.
There are plenty of pirate details in both the pictures and the text, including the classic eye-patch, treasure map and a modern fun twist on walking the plank. This makes the book perfect for pirate fans but I am confident it will appeal much more widely.
As the fourth in a series, I opened this book with some trepidation wondering whether the publishers were simply cashing in on previous success. I was delighted to find this wasn’t the case. This is a fabulous standalone story that’s perfect story for sharing with young readers. Beautiful illustrations, plenty of action and a rip-roaring pace, I’m now heading to the library to catch up on George’s other adventures.
If you enjoyed this and are looking for another pirate adventure, why not try Pirates Love Underpants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort.
ISBN: 978-1405273619
Date: April 2015
Publisher: Egmont
Pages: 32
Author: Adam and Charlotte Guillain
Review first published on The Bookbag