Buccaneers by the Letter: Twenty-Six Pirates: An Alphabet Book by David Horowitz

PIRATE FRANK WALKS THE PLANK.

PIRATE GRANT... CAN'T!

This crew of corsairs appears in alphabetical order. Some of them make like marauders, while some maintain good guy status: Brad was born to be bad and Xavier displays improper behavior, but Hal is everyone's pal, and all the crew likes Ike. And then there's Pirate Lee, who needs to... er, go to the little pirate's room pronto.

David Horowitz' latest, Twenty-six Pirates: An Alphabet Book rides the high Cs with internally rhyming couplets that feature boy heroes doing all the things a bunch of boys might do--snorkeling with the fishes, sword fighting on the stern of the ship, diving cannonballs with big splashes, even missing Mommy--named alphabetically until at last Pirate Quaid (mistakes were made) scuttles the ship, sending it settling toward Davy Jones' locker at the bottom of the briny. Horowitz's comical collages of construction paper cutouts, with an artful use of colored pencil, give this book a stylish modern take on the venerable abecedarius--a far YARRRRR! from the traditional A Is For Apple, B Is For Bear alphabet book. As Kirkus quips, "Aye mateys, heave-ho with this bounty of pirate silliness!"

Pair this one with its sister ship, Horowitz' Twenty-six Princesses: An Alphabet Story for a pretty-in-pink alphabetic alternative for girls.