Pirates Vs. Cowboys

Daggnabbit!  Seemed like a crack shot when my spyglass caught site of that title. 

THREE PROS
*Author Aaron Reynolds absolutely nails the speech patterns of both camps of characters; consequently, you find yourself talking like them when reading aloud (making it a more rich experience for parent and child alike)   
*What kid isn't gonna laugh at a joke about stinkiness -- all the better that the bomb is dropped at the watershed moment in the story
*Might give your young'uns an early lesson in the problems that arise from two cultures not understanding each others customs or language

THREE CONS 
*I'm usually an easy grader when it comes to illustrations, but, despite the level of detail he put into it, David Barneda's pictures just didn't work for your favorite blogger 
*If you gave me a chart with 100 fonts on it, the one found in this book would rank in the bottom quartile 
*Not to pile on here... but the cover image uses too many muted colors -- to the point that it made me less enthusiastic about picking it up

ONE DAD'S OPINION

Shark vs. Train this is not.  [I'm assuming some element of copycatting was involved -- who knows how unintentional it might have been.]  I really try not to directly compare books to one another, but it's literally impossible for me to glance at P vs. C without thinking about one of my favorite Buys ever.  The stories are different enough AND the writing in today's selection approaches top level work, but the illustrations are lacking.  In the gunfight for your attention, these cowboys come up a few bullets short.  Don't let them rob you of your precious plunder! 

BuBORROW / Donate / Destroy



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