The Ballad of the Pirate Queens - Softcover

Yolen, Jane

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0152018859 ISBN 13: 9780152018856

Publisher: Voyager Books, 1998

Synopsis

Two sailors were keeping watch alone when the governor's men stormed aboard the Vanity. Those two--the legend-inspiring pirate queens Anne Bonney and Mary Reade--fought bravely but called in vain for their shipmates, who sported and drank below deck. Jane Yolen's stirring ballad immortalizes these two daring women and offers readers an intriguing look at life on the high seas.

About this title

About the Author:

Jane Yolen is a highly acclaimed author who has written hundreds of books for children and adults and has won numerous awards. She and her husband divide their time between Massachussetts and Scotland. Visit her at janeyolen.com and on Twitter at @JaneYolen.  

DAVID SHANNON is the illustrator of many popular picture books, including How I Became a Pirate. His numerous awards include a Caldecott Honor for No, David! He lives in Burbank, California.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-6?"And silver the coins and silver the moon,/Silver the waves on the top of the sea..." Yolen writes a most unusual ballad of pirate adventure that sings the history of Anne Bonney and Mary Reade, the only 2 women of the 12 pirates aboard the Vanity. They defend the ship from the men of the governor's man-o'-war, Albion, while their captain and the rest of the crew are below drinking rum and playing cards. The females are absolutely the best and bravest of this bad lot. The Vanity is taken; all are brought to trial, but Anne and Mary escape hanging by "pleading their bellies" (claiming they are pregnant), a page taken from history for which Yolen provides notes. Shannon's acrylics are rich, dark, and realistic, and expand upon the story. Faces glow as they did in his work for Rafe Martin's Rough-Face Girl (Putnam, 1992). The depth of the art is reminiscent of great classic illustrators working in oil, especially N.C. Wyeth. This is not for the faint of heart?no good pirate story is?as pirates are not a God-fearing lot. But it is for those who crave high adventure, death-defying acts, and an unflinching glimpse into history. A rousing read-aloud.?Helen Gregory, Grosse Pointe Public Library, MI
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Voyager Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0152018859
• ISBN 13: 9780152018856
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Shannon David