The Sneakiest Pirates: 05/31/09

I think Dalton James, author of The Sneakiest Pirates and The Heroes of Googley Woogley (review coming) is the youngest self publisher I've had the pleasure of reviewing. He wrote this first book last year at the age of seven and has now written the sequel. I had expected only to review the sequel but was sent both books.

This twenty page picture book (also illustrated by the author) tells the story of a father and son pair of pirates who steal the treasure from Peg Leg Chuck. Chuck by the way actually has a hook for a hand instead of a peg leg. The treasure is ultimately that of an unnamed king.

Much of the book is filled with the sorts of jokes my own son finds funny. For instance, to be clever, Chuck buries his treasure under the letter A because all other pirates use X. Pirates being pirates (even father and son pirates) don't automatically want to share. In the end they do and decide to change careers. Read the book to find out what they do next.

The Sneakiest Pirates isn't the best picture book I've read but it's not the worst either. There's a genuine enthusiasm here and a sense of humor that had me chuckling in places. I think Dalton James has potential.

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