Pirate Palooza

Summary: Stone Rabbit and his friend, Andy (a wolf) are playing around inside the house and end up breaking the leg of a table. They are on their way to purchase a new table leg when Andy is side-tracked by a new comic book sign. In the comic book store, Stone Rabbit fibs to Milton saying that he will not use the antique and cursed pirate leg for the broken table. Once home, Stone Rabbit goes against his word to Milton and ghost pirates then come to life. The boys are left to fight Bob. They rush to Milton for help, which turns out to be a great idea because Milton is good at fencing. Milton helps save the day and all three are safe and free from the ghost pirates.

Bib Info: Craddock, E. (2009). Pirate palooza. New York, NY: Random House Children’s Books.

Interest Level: 3-6

Impression: This book encompasses action and humor. The pictures add to what is happening in the story. The story ends on a funny note when Stone Rabbit did not learn his lesson from fibbing the first time around.

Reviews and Awards: Horn Book 10/01/09, Wilson's Children 10/01/10, School Library Journal 03/01/09

Reviews: These entertaining graphic novels star an adventurous rabbit, first traveling through time to a prehistoric world populated by dinosaurs (Mambo), then tangling with a pirate curse (Palooza). Both of the quick-moving adventures are filled with humor and danger, though the books' frantic narrative style, with busy illustrations to match, may induce whiplash. [Review covers these Stone Rabbit titles: BC Mambo and Pirate Palooza.]
[Review of the book Pirate palooza, by E. Craddock]. (2009, Fall). Horn Book. Retrieved from: http://www.hbook.com

Gr 2-5-This book will give those children who love the ridiculous just what they want: a zany, mile-a-minute graphic novel. When a living-room wrestling match results in a broken coffee-table leg, Stone Rabbit and his wolf friend, Andy, think they've found the perfect fix-a genuine pirate's peg leg. After attaching it to the table, they are visited by its previous owner, Barnacle Bob. The ghost pirate takes Stone Rabbit and Andy aboard his vessel, the Biscotti, and makes them part of his crew. When Andy is in danger of getting thrown overboard, Stone Rabbit has to decide if he is a heartless pirate or a friend. His decision sends the two pals to a showdown with the ghost pirates in the local comic shop. The bold illustrations are bursting at the seams with energy. Occasionally, quick changes in perspective require some extra effort from readers to follow the action, but many children will be delighted with the book's quick pace, cheeky dialogue, and pop-culture references.
Jonker, T. (2009, March 1). [Review of the book Pirate palooza. by E. Craddock]. School Library Journal. Retrieved from: http://www.slj.com/

Use in library setting: This book could be paired up with National Talk Like a Pirate Day activities, which is in September. This could include students making Stone Bunny and Wolf puppets and performing skits of their favorite scenes from the book.