Synopses & Reviews
Every kid knows that pirates talk funny, swing a big sword, and seek buried treasureand#8212;donand#8217;t they? What do we really know about Blackbeard, Madame Cheng, Sir Francis Drake, and other men and women of pirate history? What drove them to sail the high seas? What were their bad habits, favorite foods, and silly quirks? And did they actually talk like that?
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; A lively style, lots of surprises, and solid research have made the Lives of . . . series of collective biographies popular with both kids and adults. Now the series returns, spanning the globe with profiles of the nineteen most notorious pirates in history.
Review
Children's Literature All in all, the author has crafted a book that will interest and inform its readership both as a historical work and as a contemporary chronicle. School Library Journal
Stunning illustrations and engaging text...Like Milton Meltzer's fine Piracy & Plunder: A Murderous Business (Dutton, 2001), this title offers a true look at the world of piracy and is a bit better illustrated.
Review
PRAISE FOR THE LIVES OF
Synopsis
This is a swashbuckling introduction to the highwaymen--and women--of the seas from the Cilician pirates who terrorized the Mediterranean more than two thousand years ago to today's well-organized and ruthless buccaneers who target supertankers on the China Sea. The book examines the terror tactics of pirates throughout the ages and uncovers the secretive schemes of modern-day smugglers.
Synopsis
Pirates and Smugglers is a swashbuckling introduction to the highwaymen and women of the seas -- from the cruel Cilician pirates who terrorized the Mediterranean more than 2,000 years ago to the well-organized and ruthless modern-day buccaneers who target supertankers on the South China Sea -- and the loot they plunder and smuggle.
Synopsis
This installment in the acclaimed LIVES OF series profiles the swashbuckling adventures of history's most famous piratesand#8212;and dispels a few rumors along the way.
About the Author
Kathryn Hewittand#39;s caricatures of famous figures led kids to dub the Lives of . . . series the andquot;Big Headandquot; books. She has illustrated many books for young readers, some of which she also wrote.