Avast, ye scurvy dogs (and cats!), set sail for a rollicking adventure from the politest pirate around!
Sail the seven seas with a hero who would really rather just nap.
Our perpetually reluctant feline adventurer returns—after 2025’s Murray the Viking and Murray the Knight—for another tale of derring-do. This time a slip through his magical cat door plunges Murray and his perky companion Bun (a cheery dessert-bun-turned-rabbit, complete with a cherry tail) into a seaside town. Now dressed in full pirate gear, Murray is at first delighted when the citizens start to give him things without prompting. Unfortunately, his polite acceptance draws the attention of Captain Patch and his dastardly crew. Pirates don’t say thank you—such behavior goes against the pirate code! The pirates kidnap Murray and Bun, but soon it’s clear that this crew would much rather fish or open flower shops than terrorize the seven seas. While attempting to find hidden gold to finance a floral business, Patch and company run into a terrifying monster; now it’s up to Murray to (eventually) save the day! Though Murray’s ever the gentleman, his natural disinclination to engage in adventure inevitably allows him to indulge in some mundane delights. Stower milks maximum humor out of the book’s page turns and lengthy sequences yet keeps the mood lighthearted. Human characters range in skin tone.
Avast, ye scurvy dogs (and cats!), set sail for a rollicking adventure from the politest pirate around! (Chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9798217031047
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look...
Winning actually isn’t everything, as jazz-happy Rooster learns when he goes up against the legendary likes of Mules Davis and Ella Finchgerald at the barnyard talent show.
Having put together a band with renowned cousin Duck Ellington and singer “Bee” Holiday, Rooster’s chances sure look good—particularly after his “ ‘Hen from Ipanema’ [makes] / the barnyard chickies swoon.”—but in the end the competition is just too stiff. No matter: A compliment from cool Mules and the conviction that he still has the world’s best band soon puts the strut back in his stride. Alexander’s versifying isn’t always in tune (“So, he went to see his cousin, / a pianist of great fame…”), and despite his moniker Rooster plays an electric bass in Bower’s canted country scenes. Children are unlikely to get most of the jokes liberally sprinkled through the text, of course, so the adults sharing it with them should be ready to consult the backmatter, which consists of closing notes on jazz’s instruments, history and best-known musicians.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-58536-688-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends
Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”
When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9957-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
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