Pirate Half Pint Pete sails half the Seven Seas with his crew, plundering half the ships he meets. Half his legs are peg, and half his eyes are patched. And his treasure map is incomplete until he meets Half-Baked Belle who waves the other half. They collaborate on finding the treasure and find happiness together. Told in jaunty rhyme, the story skips along with just the right amount of “pirate talk.” The rhythm of the text is well paced and flows naturally. Valerio’s colorful illustrations are cartoonish but provide enough detail to evoke some good discussion. For instance, Pete’s and Belle’s parrots – his is green and hers is pink, of course - provide amusing non-verbal commentary to the action. Half Pint Pete is a silly romp of a story, great for read aloud. Three to five year olds will enjoy finding out that girls can be pirates, too.
Recommended by Irva Nachlas-Gabin, Librarian, Maryland, USA
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“Half-Pint Pete the pirate sailed half the seven seas. He boarded half the ships he saw and plundered them with ease.”
Half-pint Pete has one half of a treasure map. He sets sail in search of treasure, and the other half of the map. When he spies a ship and Half-baked Belle, instead of fighting for the treasure map, they join forces. These two realized that sometimes one is better than two. A nice rhyme and bright illustrations make this a read-aloud delight.
Recommended by: Alice Cyphers, Librarian, Pennsylvania USA
