Commander Toad and the Space Pirates

Commander Toad #6

by Jane Yolen, Bruce Degen (Illustrator)

"A funny space adventure that spoofs  Star Wars  while providing an easy-to-read story." — Booklist

It's been a long trip, and Commander Toad and the crew of the Star Warts are bored. They've played all the games and watched all the movies and read all the books on the ship. Suddenly the alarm goes off--pirates are coming aboard, led by Commander Salamander, Scourge of the Skies and Goon of the Galaxies. Is the crew going to have to play his favorite game--Hop the Plank?


Fans of  DK LEGO Star Wars,  Tom Angleberger's  Origami Yoda,  and silliness will toad-ally love Commander Toad!

Genres: Childrens, Science Fiction, Kids, Fantasy, Picture Books

Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Jane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Mark Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s been a long space voyage, so long that the crew of the Space Warts is bored. Unfortunately, trouble finds them in the form of Commander Salamander, the notorious space pirate who is Commander Toad’s arch nemesis. He quickly boards the ship and plans to force the crew to play his favorite game, Hop the Plank. Can they get out of this situation?

I remember liking this one as a kid, but as an adult, it just doesn’t hold up well. The puns, a favorite of mine, aren’t on full display here. The twist at the end is just a bit too abrupt for me. I’m sure kids who are fans of these books will still enjoy it, however.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

With nods to Star Wars and Star Trek, Jane Yolen has created an easy reader for first or second graders with a space theme. In this Commander Toad book, the crew are bored but have to spring into action when a space pirate ship approaches and they are boarded. Written in verse, most young children will enjoy the action of the story. The illustrations of Bruce Degen compliment the text well and will help draw children into the story.
Some audiences may not think the skull and crossbones flag (the Jolly Roger) is appropriate for their audience.
I encourage K-12 Christian school librarians to review this book themselves to determine if it is appropriate for their audience.
I received a complimentary copy of Commander Toad and the Space Pirates. This is my honest review.

[matteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This became an immediate read-every-night book in our household. The cadence is funky, the Star Wars reference are frequent, and my mind is blown that Yolen is the author who also wrote Owl Moon and the dinosaur books.

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Commander Toad books have been some of my kids' favorites since they were about six years old. We read these over and over (and over) for several years! Love them! They tickle our funny bone(s).

[Patrick Flannery · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Childhood Manifest!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay, but not my favorite of the series. The ending was a kind of fun twist though.

[Lyla · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars - only because I probably shouldn’t be reading a book that’s meant for people way younger than me haha

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny read from an old favorite series! Full of puns and dumb jokes.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A read a loud we read last night- it was kind of silly, but it was one of the "Battle of the Books" books.

Commander Toad is the commander of the Star Warts. His crew is bored because they have watched all the movies, read all the books, and played all the games. Young Jake Skyjumper says he is bored and begins cleaning.

Suddenly they are attacked by Salamander Pirates. They tie eveyone up (except the dr who is hiding behind the boxes) and begin to mess up the ship and talk about making them walk the blank. Suddenly the dr pops out from behind the boxes wrapped in bandages and giving orders. Right away mummy.

In the end, Commander Toad and Commander Salamander are really friends and were just giving their crew some excitment. They get the ship ship shape again and trade movies and books.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book doesn't live up to some of my favorite early readers - Frog and Toad, Little Bear, Elephant and Piggy. The prose just doesn't seem to flow as well, nor are the story's themes (it actually seems to be about boredom) particularly important. That said, I did enjoy Yolen's use of rhyme and rhythm to guide the reader. Repetition and pun are used, somewhat less skillfully, but still aid in reading some tricky words. There are also lots 70s and 80s pop culture references. With the resurgence of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, some students really enjoy those homages. My 7 year old is less media savvy and missed many of the jokes. Still, there was a fun twist at the end. For children who enjoy Star Wars, this would be a fun science fiction addition to a classroom library.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hm. When I showed my nephew that I remembered to check out Commander Toad and the Space Pirates as he requested, he giggled gleefully. He sat on my lap as we read this book, and even though it's long, he listened to it and soaked in the pictures.

Unfortunately, I could see looks of confusion crossing his face as we read, and he did not understand the ending at all. I had to explain the ending to him (and also to his older sister), so I was a little disappointed that this book didn't seem to be as fun for the kids as Commander Toad in Space was. We do still like Commander Toad, however, and I'm sure we'll read more books from this series.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the Labor Day holiday we checked out three Commander Toad books from our local library for the trip down to South Pasadena. Commander Toad and the Space Pirates is another of that set.

Space travel can be boring. The crew finds itself between assignments. They've watched all the movies on board, read all the books and are suffering from a serious case of boredom.

Fortunately for the crew, they are attacked by space pirates. Commander Toad is tied up by sword point! Will he and crew survive?

This Commander Toad ends on a humorous twist. I don't want to give it away here. Go read the book and enjoy the silly puns and the delightful ending.

[Tina Harden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an entertaining read on how to beat boredom. When all the movies have been watched 59 times each. When all the books have been read 47 times each. When all the games have been played 35 times each then go for the imagination.

This book leads you to use your imagination. The illustrations are detailed and whimsical. Lots of action in the words and the sketches. Young readers should amuse themselves multiple times reading this book. I may read it again myself.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very well crafted piece of literature in the frogs-as-space-pilots genre. The space pirate boss' bark is a lot worse than his bite, and it all works out in the end. I loved this book as a kid, and I'm sure I'd still love rereading it.

[Katharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

My sci-fi loving 7 year old liked this early reader. Plenty of frog puns and references to star wars and star trek (he caught every reference). The story and ending could have been a bit better though.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remembered these books from when I was a kid, and they're still very funny adventures. My 2 1/2 year old son really liked it, too! This is one of my favorite Commander Toad books.

[Leif Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

My judgement about this book might be skewed by that any book I can read to Gina is going to be amazing to me.