Prince and Pirate

March 13, 2017
Gunnufson’s goofy story about acceptance and sharing introduces two pet fish who are content in their separate bowls: Prince is a prim sort, with an underwater castle and carriage, while rowdy Pirate sails his schooner and guards his treasure. When they’re both plopped in a large fish tank, they are pleased with their expanded domains—until they realize that they are sharing the tank, resulting in traded insults (“You miserable mollusk!” “Ye worm-eaten peg leg!”) and a dividing line of pebbles marking out their territories. Gunnufson (Halloween Hustle) gives Pirate and Prince big personalities, and their respectively gruff and highbrow comments will make for peppy readalouds. Their animosity ebbs with the arrival of a “lost little dogfish,” who cowers in his miniature doghouse until Prince and Pirate join forces to make him feel welcome. Lowery’s (A Squiggly Story) vivid, loopy cartoons play up the cultural divide between the fishy antagonists, and his hand-lettered, all-caps sound effects and action words (“flick fling sling pitch hurl chuck” as the fish demolish their pebbled dividing line) only add to the fun. Ages 5–8. Illustrator’s agency: Lilla Rogers Studio.

Starred review from March 1, 2017
Two pet fish duke it out, scale to scale. Prince, an entitled goldfish, and Pirate, a fish of a decidedly naughty nature, are content as can be within their own little bowls. Then along comes the terrible day when they find themselves sharing a single tank. Prince considers Pirate to be a downright "cheeky cod," while Pirate can't stand sharing space with this "worm-eaten peg leg." Taking a cue from classic movies and sitcoms of yore, they make a line down the tank's center constructed from white pebbles. But when a cute little dogfish enters their domain (complete with doghouse), they both realize the only way to win its trust is to come to terms with each other. While both the impetus for bringing these two mortal enemies together and the final denouement fail to ring completely true, there's no denying that the book is a godsend to pirate-themed storytimes nationwide. Gunnufson delights in language, both Prince's high-falutin' royal speak and Pirate's down-and-dirty buccaneer-inflected growl. Lowery, meanwhile, endows his flippered foes with enough humor and heart to sink an ocean liner. Such jokes as Pirate's surreptitious lift of his eye patch to better view Prince will not go unnoticed. A watery odd couple perfect for potential royals and scurvy curs alike. (Picture book. 4-7)

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April 1, 2017
Preschool-G Prince rules the round kingdom within his royal fishbowl, castle and all. Pirate similarly rules the round sea within his fishbowl, yo-ho-ho-ing while keeping a watchful eye on his ship and treasure. When a dreadful journey lands them both in a rectangular fish tank, they are terrible at sharing, and they each embark on a quest to outdo the other. Prince's proper, snooty vernacular hilariously contrasts with Pirate's raw, salty language: Halt, peasant! says Prince, and Pirate replies, Avast, ye scurvy sea slug! They just cannot get along, eventually dividing up the tank to separate the kingdom from the high seas with a line of rocks. Will these tiny fish with whale-sized pride ever get along rather than fighting fin to fin? (Spoiler: Yes, but it takes a cuddly new arrival to make it stick.) Lowery's bold, brightly colored cartoonish illustrations bring the over-the-top rivals to life in droll, eccentric scenes that emphasize each fish's hilarious habits. At first glance, this is pure silliness, but a tidy lesson about sharing will rise to the surface.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
Prince and Pirate, both fish, are forced to share a fish tank, but their oversize personalities clash. When a new fish arrives, the former enemies band together to welcome him. The adversaries' back-and-forth banter is full of royal and swashbuckling exclamations, perfect for reading aloud. The colorful and amiable illustrations--with an inside-the-tank perspective--buoy the humor and drama.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)