Tough Boris

by Mem Fox, Kathryn Brown (Illustrator)

Boris von der Borch is a mean, greedy old pirate--tough as nails, through and through, like all pirates. Or is he? When a young boy sneaks onto Boris's ship, he discovers that Boris and his mates aren't quite what he expected.

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

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 1994

About the author

Merrion Frances Fox is an Australian writer of children's books and an educationalist specialising in literacy. Fox has been semi-retired since 1996, but she still gives seminars and lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My niece and nephew both liked this book. It made it onto our reading list as part of my effort to fulfill my nephew's request that we read "a cool book." Pirates are always pretty cool, and Tough Boris did seem to live up to my nephew's standards.

There are two things about this book that really captured my attention. First of all, this is a story for young little kids, like my nephew, who think pirates are cool. Pirates are all tough, pirates are all massive, pirates are all scary, pirates are all scruffy. Little kids get that, and agree with it. That is a pirate as little kids know him. The word story was the one my nephew was responding to. Tough Boris is also a story for older kids, but *that* story is told through the pictures, and that story is more complex and more suspenseful than the story told in words. The story in the pictures is the one that my eight year old niece was tuned in to. Where the two stories, merge, though, is in the end, and that ending is appropriate to both the word story and the picture story. And that brings me to the second thing about Tough Boris that captured my attention.

Tough Boris is a story for adults with some life experience under their belts. The ending was heartbreaking and poignant, especially so for a children's book I thought. The message was simply stated, but cuts very deep, especially for a children's book. All pirates cry. And don't they? Even the roughest, toughest, baddest, most criminal among us sometimes cry. We all have hearts that are capable of great love, great evil, and thus, of great grief. And in the end, our "coolness" and our "toughness" doesn't matter. Only our humanity does.

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book at first. But it fit well for our pirate book club parties. Then after I read it for the tenth (or so) time, I discovered that I really liked the tender story told in the pictures and not in the actual words. We read it twice and Coco's book club party. First, just reading it, and then looking at the pictures and talking about the untold story, of the boy who loved his violin, and gave up the violin case for the pirate who loved his parrot. A book that teaches about LOVING your violin and has pirates!! This is excellent for a read aloud, but a great conversation starter. What do you truly love?

[Mary Train · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book about he even the toughest of the tough need to cry. Is surprises me coming from Mem Fox! I wouldn't think Mem knows much about being tough, but she nails it with this pirate...and this book hooked the kids...a great, short book to read with children.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

i read this book in shelter to kids who have learned strict gender roles. the basic message is: boys DO cry. and it's about a pirate, and the kids love pirates these days.

[CATastrophe]

This was in a “baby magic” collection of stories and I’m not rating it because it doesn’t match up with my normal style of rating. Which is for the best because it would probably be 1.5stars.
This story was the most disappointing out of the bunch.
It sets up a pirate. Which is something as a kid we imagine as tough and cold, maybe even a wicked chuckle. But then a parrot is introduced, it’s death is introduced, they say the pirate cried, they say the author cried and then that’s it.
It was such a beautiful concept of irony and accepting this emotional depth. And yet the story just quickly stated these things and ends.

Wasted potential.

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children's picture book has very simple and repetitive language that still sounds rhythmic. A lot of the story is told through pictures. The pictures of in the book are all mostly frameless, but sometimes it will be cropped and framed. This book about a tough pirate and a stow away shows readers that people are not always what they seem at first.

[youj · Rating 5 out of 5]

the nursery kids KEEP asking me to read this book and i literally tear up reading it. i love boris.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here we learn that even big, tough, scary, fearless pirates cry sometimes.

Lovely illustrations by Kathryn Brown.

[Margie Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for the first time and loved it. Pirates are tough, scruffy, and rough but just in case you didn't know pirates cry too! The illustrations were very detailed and beautiful. This would make for a great read-aloud and a pirate-themed dramatic play area.

[Jennifer Worrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most touching stories I ever read, including adult fiction. Mem Fox is a treasure.

[Luann · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the text of this is very simple and tells the surface story of a pirate named Boris von der Borch, the illustrations tell a deeper story of a young boy who sneaks onto the pirate ship to get his violin back and for a short while becomes part of the crew. I enjoyed this, although it isn't what I normally look for in a Mem Fox book. It would work great as an introduction to a lesson on pirates, though. It would also be a fun one to read on "Talk Like a Pirate Day" except it really doesn't contain any pirate-specific lingo.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the interaction of story and illustration in this book, though I regret reading it with my children (about death and unlikely friendship). It's not for the very young, though there are few words. I don't know what the audience should be, but it should be read. It's poignant, and the words and images are harmonious yet dissonant.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pirates are tough and mean and greedy, and Tough Boris is no exception. But when his pet parrot dies, even this pirate cries and cries. Finally a pirate we can relate to! Animated watercolor and pencil illustrations show us the action of life on a pirate ship.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Book tells the tale of the pirate Boris von der Borch. He is a tough, greedy, mean old pirate. This book is written, and illustrated very cleverly. It contains both told and untold stories.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations lend a unique layer to the story of a boy who sneaks aboard a pirate ship only to learn that little boys aren't so different from scraggly old pirates after all.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written with minimal text, Tough Boris by Mom Fox allows children and adults to think not only about emotions that everyone feels, but also about assumptions we make about people based on superficial knowledge. In this book, Boris von der Borch is shown in the illustrations doing things that pirates do, such as hunt for treasure using a treasure map, order people around, and fight others. The accompanying story is told minimally, describing character traits and actions that accompany each page. Midway through the story, though, we see a tender side of Boris emerge, a side that shows his care and sensitivity. The story wraps up with a friendship between the stowaway boy and Tough Boris, a friendship fostered at at time when Boris lost something important to him. Fox’s Tough Boris allows children to accept the fact that they’ll feel a range of emotions throughout their lives, and that everyone around them will feel these same emotions at some point, too. It also shows children how friendships can develop when you least expect them, and maybe with people you least expect. The illustrations take this simple story to another level, as you see that maybe pirates aren’t truly as mean and scary as we might think, or as the words might lead you to believe. This dichotomy leads to lots of fun on subsequent rereads as more details are noticed!

Publishers rate this book for four to seven year olds; I first discovered it when my daughter was three and found it powerful for her, too, as well as for upper elementary schoolers.

[Jessica Waleske · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tough Boris" by Mem Fox is a heartwarming and beautifully illustrated children's picture book that explores themes of loss, grief, and resilience in a way that is accessible and comforting for young readers. With its captivating storytelling and evocative artwork by Kathryn Brown, the book captures the emotions and strength of its protagonist, Boris.

The story follows Boris, a seemingly tough and gruff pirate who sails the high seas with his crew. Boris is known for his fearlessness and courage, but underneath his rugged exterior, he carries a secret. When Boris loses his parrot, Patch, he shows a side of himself that is rarely seen. The book takes readers on a journey through Boris's grief as he struggles with the loss of his beloved friend and pet.

Mem Fox's prose is simple and poetic, making it accessible to young children. The text is skillfully woven to convey the complex emotions that Boris experiences as he navigates the stages of grief. The story is both a touching exploration of loss and a celebration of the power of friendship and memory. The repetitive phrase "Boris was tough" throughout the book helps reinforce Boris's character while also highlighting the emotional depth beneath the tough exterior.

This repetitive sentence structure would be great for ELL students and an excellent choice for exploring the idea of feelings like sadness and grief.

[Neil Pasricha · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you get a 5-year-old for his birthday? I went down and asked Doug Miller of Doug Miller Books for a suggestion and he handed me this gem. "Once upon a time, there lived a pirate named Boris von der Borch", it begins, with grizzled, beady-eyed, fierce-looking Boris looking at a treasure map on a sandy beach. "He was tough," it continues, with Boris leering over a group of pirates pulling a chest out of the sand. "All pirates are tough." "He was massive," it continues with Boris laughing and holding his parrot onboard the ship deck. "All pirates are massive." Momentum builds: "He was greedy", "All pirates are greedy", "He was fearless", "All pirates are fearless", "He was scary", "All pirates are scary" — and then the screeching halt: "But when his parrot died, he cried and cried." A suddenly emotional scene of tough Boris crying over his dead bird before sadly placing it into a fiddle-case casket and throwing it into the ocean. Before closing with "All pirates cry." and, finally, "And so do I." A heart-stirring tale somehow told with only 71 words. Complete picture book mastery. Highly recommended.

[Danielle H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book after finding it in a booklet on clinical grief activities with children and adolescents. It was categorized as a book on death and grief for young children. After reading thought-provoking reviews on Goodreads, I had to experience it for myself. It had me thinking long and hard and I read it slowly...a few time. As other reviews suggest--the plot lies in careful examination of the pictures. With guidance toward certain visual clues, it can be a great read with an early audience--especially kids who find they are trying to be strong in the face of a loss. It reflects upon the loss of a pet which could be used with kids who have also lost pets, but can be broadened with proper guidance to explore the loss of people in kids' lives. And even for a child who has not experienced death, it can be a way to explore emotions and emotional regulation.

[Diana Labani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tough Boris has stunning illustrations that capture the audience's attention the minute they open the book. The plot is simple, it is about a seemingly tough and cold pirate opening up his vulnerable side to a young boy after his parrot dies. As cliche as it sounds you should not judge a book by its cover. Boris seemed like an average pirate; greedy, fearless, and scruffy. There was more to him however and he stuck out from the rest, he had a compassionate side to him and formed a deep bond with his parrot. His grieving over the lost of his bird showed the young boy that while Boris was a tough and sometimes mean pirate, he still was human and cried. Just because someone looks a certain way on the outside doesn't mean they are like that on the inside.

[Peach · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Tough Boris” is not the greatest book to discuss gender roles. It tells a story about a pirate that is tough, scary, mean, and greedy. He, like other pirates, had a pet parrot. Along the route to get treasures, Boris displayed unbecoming characteristics like being scraggly, scary, and fearless. Along the journey, Boris’ pet bird died. Then he cried. I guess the moral of the story is that even the toughest guys cry. Crying is normally something assimilated with something that women do. At the end of the day, enough hurt can make anyone cry.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the point of the book was that everyone grieves. Meh. I didn't like how the book explained to kids that everyone in this category of person, pirates, is like ________. It was a book of stereotyping. Why do we want to model that?

I also don't understand why we are supposed to be surprised the kid is capable of crying. Of course, he can cry. He isn't a stereotype.

Good points: the book teaches children two not-so-common adjectives: massive and scruffy.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Men Fox - this is a great story about a big tough pirate and his real emotions, including sadness and grief - because tough pirates have a full range of emotions, just like tough and not so tough kids. The illustrations by Kathryn Brown, are delightful, and help deliver the story message that all emotions are valid.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I was just thinking this would be a good fallback book for kids looking for a pirate book (with a good amount of text--not too wordy). Most of the storytelling is through the illustrations. I had to go back a couple of times to follow what was going on with the violin and the parrot--I assume the pirates found the violin with the treasure? The ending was surprisingly sweet and poetic.

[Gayle Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great book to talk about perceptions and what it means to be tough. Even tough people can feel emotions. I think this book captures courage and struggle all at the same time. It's one of my favorites to just read for fun. It would go nicely with a pirate unit or a unit about caring for pets.

[Samantha Hanhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The language in this book is very simple yet tells the story perfectly. It repeats the same two phrases with different adjectives over and over which can be helpful for kids whose reading skills are not as strong.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comment:
A fun picture book by Mem Fox about the emotional life of the pirate, Boris von der Borsch. The text is repetitive and children will love learning to follow the pattern to see what comes next for the pirate crew. Best read aloud and with gusto!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise story in a few words about a grizzly pirate and his crew with a truthful and sensitive ending. Look closely at the full page illustrations for clues in the story about two unnamed characters. Surprising story with good ending.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this Mem Fox tale, she reminds all readers that even the toughest souls may have a sad moment. Using minimal text in a repeated line structure, the book is very accessible for young readers. Detailed illustrations provide much to talk about in exploring the book together.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple story with a deep meaning, really enjoyed it.