The Erie Canal Pirates

Rating:
Summary: rhyming text! a good pirate picture book for youngsters
Review: In rhyming text, the author tells the tale of a mail boat on the Erie Canal. The boat is besieged by pirates, but the crew intends to keep its pay (the payroll is targeted). Based on a folk song, the plot is unpredictable, but moves slowly enough that young readers and listeners can understand it.

The mule leads the mail boat's men to victory, and the pirates are defeated. My son, aged four, usually roots for the pirates, of course, but The Erie Canal Pirates sees them defeated, and he's not disappointed. I rate this as a nice companion book to other pirate picture books, such as Tough Boris, by Mem Fox.