Jolly Roger and the Pirates of Captain Abdul (August 3, 2004) Paperback

by Colin McNaughton

An award-winning, comical pirate pictue book adventure! Nine-year-old Roger is a miserable landlubber with a bad-tempered mother. So when he sees a chance to join some pirates, he jumps at the chance - or he would have done if the pirates hadn't already bagged him! The next thing he knows, Roger is on board the "Golden Behind" with a bunch of the smelliest, hairiest, scariest pirates the world has ever seen - but will they be a match for Roger's mum?; Winner of the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year Award.; Shortlisted for the Smarties Book Prize, the Kurt Maschler Award and the National Art Library Awards for Illustration.

Genres: Picture Books, Pirates, Fiction, Adventure, Childrens

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Growing up in his native England, the young Colin McNaughton had little indication that he would one day become an author-illustrator. There were no books at all in his parents' home, he recalls, but there were always comics. These were his formative literature, and their slapstick humor has been a lasting influence. "I've been talking about the comic format for years," he says. "It's the modern way of telling stories for today's children; it's about movement, the step between film and the book."


Colin McNaughton says he "hated school. The word 'school' still gives me nightmares." Opting for technical college, he admits he even "made a mess of getting in there -- I'd filled out the application wrong, and when I turned up for registration they'd never heard of me!" So he worked at odd jobs for the next year before entering art school. Although his first book was published while he was still in school, Colin McNaughton did not immediately become a full-time artist. He first tried editorial and advertising work, but did not find the satisfaction that he got out of creating children's books. "At the end of it, there it is, a book on the shelf, not like a newspaper in the gutter. In fact, once you start thinking about it, it's a smashing job!" If the response to his books is any indication, children and adults seem to agree that Colin McNaughton is doing a "smashing job."


Colin McNaughton lives in London with his wife.

Reviews

[Sarap · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roger is a 9 year old boy who leads quite a sad life. His mother suffers from depression due to his fathers disappearance and takes it out on Roger. Because of his sad state, Roger decides to join a pirate ship thinking that he will have a better life on the ship. Lo and behold! Roger realises that the ships chef is in fact his father-who suffers from Amnesia therefore does not know who Roger is! In this funny and exciting book, Roger tries to get his father to remember who he is and come back to his family. This is a fun book for children to read becuase of the pirate slang and great illustrations. It would be enjoyable to read as a whole class as well as independently for confident readers.The illustrations in the book link to the Victorian times so this book could be linked with the topic of the Victorians in History.

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son loved this book. It did allow me to have quite a few character voices, but is rather long for a night read...we broke this into 2 days...it was perfect!

[Niamh Walsh]

On reading this book by Colin McNaughton I noticed immediately the diverse language and also the riveting and animated illustrations on every page. The Jolly Roger is about a young boy Roger and his Mum, a horrible “misery guts”. Everyone in the town calls Roger “Jolly” as he is always miserable and sad. The story leads on to tell us that Rogers father, a farmer turned sailor, had went to sea but had never returned home. That is why is mother was always so unhappy. Rogers’s mother was hard on him and he very much wanted to flee in order to escape her constants commands and orders. One day he saw an advert that had been placed in the grocery shop for a cabin boy to work with pirates. The pirates captured Roger. The adventure continues on as Roger boards the ship and becomes accustom to life on a pirate ship from giving him and christening him officially as the Jolly Roger to finding his dad who had been hit with amnesia and bringing him home to his Mum who smiles for the first time in the book. The story ended with a party for three days welcoming home Rodgers Dad who he had safely escaped from the pirates and in the end they all lived happily ever after how most fairytales should end. Interestingly the book provides a great selection of pirates so role play and also drama could be used in a classroom scenario in order for the book to come alive. The book is a fun way for kids and parents to get involved as it allows them to speak and use the pirate language and accents for example “ Shiver me tonsils and avast me wooden leg. Ooogh- aargh.” This also adds to the humour that can be spotted numerously throughout the book. I would highly recommend this book, I believe that the reader would be intrigued by the excitement of the pirates lives, the accents and the happy ending. It’s a real pleaser. There is also a great use of adverbs and the tone in the book is one of anticipation and animation. The illustrations visually produce the story effectively we can see the pirates dirty ship and their ghastly attire. McNaughton’s word choice and imagery were all excellently presented in this children’s tale. It’s a must read!!

[Niamh]

On reading this book by Colin McNaughton I noticed immediately the diverse language and also the riveting and animated illustrations on every page. The Jolly Roger is about a young boy Roger and his Mum, a horrible “misery guts”. Everyone in the town calls Roger “Jolly” as he is always miserable and sad. The story leads on to tell us that Rogers father, a farmer turned sailor, had went to sea but had never returned home. That is why is mother was always so unhappy. Rogers’s mother was hard on him and he very much wanted to flee in order to escape her constants commands and orders. One day he saw an advert that had been placed in the grocery shop for a cabin boy to work with pirates. The pirates captured Roger. The adventure continues on as Roger boards the ship and becomes accustom to life on a pirate ship from giving him and christening him officially as the Jolly Roger to finding his dad who had been hit with amnesia and bringing him home to his Mum who smiles for the first time in the book. The story ended with a party for three days welcoming home Rodgers Dad who he had safely escaped from the pirates and in the end they all lived happily ever after how most fairytales should end. Interestingly the book provides a great selection of pirates so role play and also drama could be used in a classroom scenario in order for the book to come alive. The book is a fun way for kids and parents to get involved as it allows them to speak and use the pirate language and accents for example “ Shiver me tonsils and avast me wooden leg. Ooogh- aargh.” This also adds to the humour that can be spotted numerously throughout the book. I would highly recommend this book, I believe that the reader would be intrigued by the excitement of the pirates lives, the accents and the happy ending. It’s a real pleaser. There is also a great use of adverbs and the tone in the book is one of anticipation and animation. The illustrations visually produce the story effectively we can see the pirates dirty ship and their ghastly attire. McNaughton’s word choice and imagery were all excellently presented in this children’s tale. It’s a must read!!

[Sue Lyle]

My grandson is going to love this!

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

R continues to enjoy all things pirates. He is moving to chapter books but still prefers pictures. This book is perfect with lots of pictures and the chapters are called 'Part I, II, etc'. This story is about a boy named Roger who is not a happy boy because he has to help his mom out around the house/farm. His dad 'disappeared' and it's been a tough time without him. Roger's friends call him 'jolly' Roger because he looks/acts so miserable. Despite this gloomy beginning, the story is actually quite funny. Roger wants to answer a job posting to be a pirate so he can get away from all of his mom's demands. Coincidentally, the pirates kidnap him and are appalled at how clean he is and his 'soap' smell. After Roger tells them of all the things his mom makes him do (embellished a little) the pirates decide to go after his mom. When the pirates don't come back in 3 days, Roger and Cookee (the pirate cook) decide to go find out what has happened. They discover Roger's mom has all the pirates prisoner, making them do chores around the house/farm. They also look different; they are clean. She has taken all their weapons and uses them to keep them in line. In the end, they do find Roger's dad and all is well and everyone is happy again. This book is entertaining and has lots of 'pirate talk' but if you are looking for a 'moral lesson', it's lacking.

R gives it 5 stars.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roger isn't jolly, he's miserable. While he drowns in melancholia, his mother suffers from clinical depression following the sudden disappearance of Roger's father, who she believes has absconded on account of her dour demeanour. On the assumption that no other life could be worse than the one he leads, Roger joins the crew of a pirate ship. Surprisingly for him, life at sea with a band of brutalised and badly educated brigands does not elevate his mood in any respect.

After all that scene-setting mental illness, there's a plot twist of some tunnel-lighting potential, when Roger deduces that the ship's cook is in fact his very own father, but as Roger's kidnapped paterfamilias is suffering from some form of post-traumatic amnesia, Roger probably wishes he was related to the ship's doctor instead.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in 2nd grade, during DEAR (drop everything and read) time, I would go over to the shelf and pick up this book and pore over it. Then, without warning, the book vanished from the shelves. So quickly, I even toyed with the idea that I had imagined the story and made up a book in my head! Even as I continued on through school, I repeatedly returned to the 2nd grade classroom to comb the shelves for this book. It was really gone.

But here it is.

Thank you for helping me find my own long lost favorite book.

[Zane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily my favorite book from my childhood, and it might retain that tile to this day. Jolly Roger is a hilarious story that touches yer heart while tossin' ye overboard into tha' briny deep. The illustrations are well done, the story is well written and the pirates' commentary is just as funny as the chapters themselves. Overall, it is a very entertaining book for all ages.

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book for children all about pirates. It also has enough interest for adults to enjoy reading it and is wonderfully illustrated.

[Peggy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun! If your kids love pirates, this is a must-have book.

[Janine Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

booklegger 2nd

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn't want to be a pirate?

[Laurie]

Wi' a curse! Oooh-aargh!