Kirkus Review
With a touch of Disney-style Little Mermaid in the cartoon pictures and a bit of Br'er Rabbit in the story, this follow-up to Pirate Pete (2002) should keep young mateys anchored to their seats. Slowed down not a whit by his hook and peg-leg, treasure-loving Pirate Pete sets out to recover the stolen Sea-Fairy Sapphire, for which a tiny mermaid sea fairy has promised him a wondrous ship in exchange. He quickly finds out that the Sapphire is guarded by a huge but not too bright giant, who is easily tricked into throwing both pirate and twinkling gemstone into the sea/briar patch. A cheery-looking Neptune and other finny seafolk wave goodbye as Pirate Pete sails off aboard his new ship in search of "jolly good treasure to plunder!" Not the most rousing of pirate adventures, but a relatively nonviolent addition to the fleet. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. The brother-sister team who created Pirate Pete (2002) pick up right where the first book left off: Pirate Pete and his faithful parrot sidekick are stranded in a rowboat after a botched treasure hunt. Oh, I wish I hads sic a ship! Pete moans, and, instantly, a mermaid-genie appears to strike a deal: if Pete finds the missing Sea-Fairy Sapphire and returns it to the sea, then his wish will be granted. Guided by instructions to follow the sound of thunder, Pete soon locates the magical gem in an island cave. The hitch? The thunder is caused by an angry giant's footsteps, and, once again, Pete narrowly escapes disaster. The silly adventure, the appealing text's frequent rhymes, the repetitive songs, and Pete's salty-dog dialogue make this a natural for reading aloud, and the dramatic, bright acrylic paintings focus on the expressive characters and will show well to a crowd. Lots of fun for pint-size buccaneers. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2006 Booklist
