Do you have a small child who makes a big racket? Is it hard to keep him quiet? Then this book might be just the thing to keep him entertained — and hushed.
Would you believe that it’s just as hard to keep quiet when you’re a pirate? It is, and in the new book “No Pirates Allowed! Said Library Lou,” by Rhonda Gowler Greene, and illustrated by Brian Ajhar, you’ll see all the challenges a buccaneer must overcome.
Everything was “just right” at Seabreezy Library. People were reading silently when, bang! Big Pirate Pete stomped through the door.
“X Marks this spot!” he hollered. He was looking for treasure, but nobody could get close enough to tell him that Seabreezy was a library because he smelled terrible!
But Library Lou was having none of that. She told Big Pete to be quiet.
Library Lou said that if Big Pete couldn’t hush, there would be no pirates allowed in her building!
Library Lou told Pete that she would help him find the treasure, but firs he had to take a bath.
The next day, Library Lou handed Big Pete another assignment. “X” didn’t mark the spot; there were a whole bunch of letters to look through. It might have been a secret code, which would take a long time to figure out.
But after a few days of Q and L and Z, Big Pete got impatient. Was there actually gold hidden in the rows and rows and rows of books on the shelves? Where, exactly, was the treasure inside Seabreezy Library?
If you and your child are readers, you know where it is. But “No Pirates Allowed! Said Library Lou” is a fun reminder.
With a rhyme and a growl, Greene lends faux-ferocity to a pirate who’s really a pussycat, and gentleness to a tiny librarian who turns out to be a tiger. Kids who love books will surely want to see where Big Pete finds his “gold.” Add in the wonderful illustrations by Brian Ajhar (pay attention to Big Pete’s facial expressions!), you’ve got a book that’s really appealing.
I’d highly recommend being very silly with this book, and putting your best pirate on when reading it aloud. Do that, and “No Pirates Allowed! Said Library Lou” will keep your 3 to 7 year old quiet — at least for a minute.
“No Pirates Allowed! Said Library Lou,” by Rhonda Gowler Greene [40 pages, 2013, $15.95].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
