Starred Review for Publishers Weekly

Landlubbers, take heart! Here's a tale of a lad who sets sail and finds he prefers the comforts of home. Equipped with pail and shovel, young Jeremy Jacob is happily constructing a sandcastle and moat when his day at the beach takes an unexpected turn. A ship sails in with a Jolly Roger raised on the mast, and the boy narrator runs to tell his parents. As with his <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">No, David! and its sequels, Shannon plays off the straight text. "I tried to tell Mom, but she was busy slathering my baby sister with sunblock" inspires an illustration of the mother being assaulted by the infant (which also explains why she doesn't notice the boy's prolonged absence). When the crew hits the beach, they discover they're lost ("We must have taken a wrong turn at Bora Bora"), note Jeremy's skills with a shovel ("We've been needin' a digger like yourself. We've a chest of treasure to bury") and whisk the willing boy away. The buccaneers prove an agreeable lot at first, teaching him sea chanteys, pirate lingo and table manners ("Down the hatch!"; "Hand over the meat!"). But when bedtime rolls around (Shannon depicts a pillow fight in full swing), the pirates won't tuck him in ("No tucking!") or read him a story. The text's vigorous chorus-like repetitions invite aspiring maties to join in, and Long's dry, tongue-in-cheek humor serves as an ideal springboard for Shannon's gleefully madcap illustrations. The pirates are about as ragtag and dentally challenged a group of scurvy salts as ever sailed the high seas, and a clever visual surprise brings the shipboard adventure to a close. Ages 3-7. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

School Library Journal Starred Review

PreS-Gr 3-Long has selected an irresistible combination for this age group-pirates and soccer. Jeremy Jacob is building a sand castle when a pirate ship lands nearby. His parents are preoccupied with other chores, so he takes off for an adventure on the high seas to help the men bury their treasure chest. He learns that buccaneers don't bother with manners or bedtimes, which is just fine with him, but it also means no bedtime stories or being tucked in. He tries to teach the pirates to play soccer, at least until the ball gets swallowed by a shark. When a storm hits, forcing the crew to return to shore, Jeremy solves the dilemma of where to bury the treasure-in his own backyard. He even makes it home in time for soccer practice. Paired with Shannon's energetic acrylics of a colorful crew of pop-eyed, snaggly toothed pirates seen from a variety of zany viewpoints (including upside down) and a small boy who is clearly having the time of his life, this rollicking adventure is sure to be a favorite with the storytime crowd.-Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

ALA Booklist (Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2003)

Pirates have green teeth--when they have any teeth at all. So begins young Jeremy Jacob's witty recounting of his unexpected high-seas adventure. While building a sand castle at the beach, Jeremy spies a pirate ship. When he's asked to join its crew, he can't resist. On board, he does all sorts of fun pirate stuff: singing sea chanteys, learning pirate lingo, eating with one's hands. And he doesn't have to eat vegetables or take a bath! But, alas, Jeremy soon discovers, there's no goodnight kiss or bedtime story, so there's something to be said for home; besides, he has soccer practice. The rollicking tale is a charmer, with a lively, witty, first-person narrative, highly expressive characters, and farcical elements, including pirate captain Braid Beard's braided beard and his crew's enthusiastic vocal repetitions, in big, bold type, which add read-aloud pep. Shannon's acrylic art is marvelously animated, with bright, bold colors and extraordinary details, from the not-too-scary pirates' green teeth to the deep-blue sloshing sea. Along with swashbuckling humor and fantasy, kids will find much to relate to and appreciate--from excitement and family comforts to the joy of playing soccer.

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

While building a sandcastle on the beach, Jeremy encounters a band of pirates who recruit him to help bury their treasure. At first, he loves the rowdy pirate lifestyle--the singing, cursing, bad table manners, and pillow fights--until he misses the comforts of home. Shannon's cartoon acrylic illustrations, which are bursting with energy and salty characters, bring Long's spirited narrative to life.

Kirkus Reviews

Thanks to parrot-toting Braidbeard and his gloriously disreputable crew, a lad discovers the ups and downs of a pirate's life in this rousing mini-epic. His mom and dad busy on another part of the beach, young Jeremy happily joins a band of hook-handed, eye-patched, snaggle-toothed pirates aboard their ship, learning pirate table manners (none), enjoying a game of nautical soccer until a shark eats the ball, then happily retiring without having to brush teeth, or even don pajamas. But then Jeremy learns that pirates don't get tucked in, or get bedtime stories, and as for good night kisses—Avast! Worse yet, no one offers comfort when a storm hits. So, giving over the pirate's life, Jeremy shows the crew where to bury its treasure (his backyard), and bids them goodbye. Shannon outfits Braidbeard's leering, pop-eyed lot in ragged but colorful pirate dress, and gives his young ruffian-in-training a belt and bandanna to match. This isn't likely to turn pirate wannabees into landlubbers, but it will inspire a chorus of yo-ho-hos. (Picture book. 6-8)