The Ballad of the Pirate Queens

by Jane Yolen, David Shannon (Illustrator)

Two sailors were keeping watch alone when the governor's men stormed aboard the Vanity. Those two--the legend-inspiring pirate queens Anne Bonney and Mary Reade--fought bravely but called in vain for their shipmates, who sported and drank below deck. Jane Yolen's stirring ballad immortalizes these two daring women and offers readers an intriguing look at life on the high seas.

Genres: Picture Books, Pirates, Poetry, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Juvenile

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Jane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Jose Juan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I think of the word ballad I think of a slow, sad song. This book by Jane Yolen is just that, a sad story told in a poetic way. The two main characters are Anne Bonney and Mary Reade. The two pirate queens sail aboard a pirate ship called the Vanity. There were 10 pirate men who also were aboard the pirate ship. One night another ship approached called the Albion and the two lady queens were the only ones on deck. They called the other men for help but they did not respond, they were too busy drinking and playing cards. The two ladies were captured as well as the men on board the Vanity. The Vanity was burned down by the other pirates from the Albion. The prisoners were put in cells and awaited trial. The two pirate queens plead for their life's as well as their unborn babies. The judge set them free but the other 10 men who did not fight like men that night were hung like dogs. The story ends with the two pirate queens living to be grandmothers and best friends. The illustrations were done in acrylic paint on illustration board. The illustrations are expressionistic and truly capture the feeling of being a pirate. The appearance and costumes the pirates wore were realistic. From looking at the illustrations I could tell that the pirates were captured by the British. The drawing capture the action in each seen well.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly meant to be read aloud.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When my daughter was 3 years old, this was her favorite book for an entire summer. We read it every night, sometimes twice. The book inspired her to want to be a pirate when she grew up. As well as a pirate for Halloween that year. Now she is a young teen and this helps to explain her love for fiction stories that are written in verse.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another one for older readers. The ballad tells the story of the infamous Mary Read and Anne Bonny. Jane Yolen doesn't hold back on the gruesome details. David Shannon's illustrations are beautifully realistic but a little TOO realistic for me. The story includes an author's notes on the legends of the two infamous female pirates of the 18th century

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jan Yolen sets to verse a fictionalized biography of two females sailing the high seas aboard the seaworthy Vanity in The Ballad of the Pirate Queens. Anne Bonney and Mary Read alone defend their vessel against capture while the rest of the crew drinks rum and plays cards. Yolen's skillful rhymes create urgency and propel the plot towards the eventual capture and trial of the Vanity's crew.

David Shannon's acrylic paintings illuminate the progressive undulation of Yolen's chorus: "And silver the coins and silver the moon,/ Silver the waves on the top of the sea,/ When the pirate ship comes sailing in,/ That gallant Vanity." While Shannon's characteristic flesh tones and his ability to capture expressive actions are recognizable, absent is the ever-glinting humor of his popular David series. He draws Anne Bonney and Mary Read with the gravitas deserved by these heroic and historic women.

Some may deem this book inappropriate for young readers due to taboo topics as cross-dressing, drunkenness, marital cruelty, and pregnant incarceration. Others will deem
The Ballad of the Pirate Queens an entertaining and colorful nonfiction tale of British maritime life in the 18th century.

[DivaDiane SM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations for beautiful poetry about Pirate Queens. How awesome is that?

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ballad is about two of the most famous female pirates ever to sail the high seas. There have always been women throughout the ages who have chosen unorthodox routes to wealth and privilege or simply a higher level of living than other women. Whether they have been reviled or admired, they leave the reader secretly envying their daring, their fierce refusal to follow in the steps of other women.

In the case of this ballad, there is no comparison with other women. Instead Anne Bonney and Mary Reade work their way on their pirate ship The Vanity alongside men. The spear sex proves woefully lacking when the ship is under attack but the women manage to avoid their fate as only women can.

The illustrations are by David Shannon. His painterly talents feature impressionistic strokes that ably capture sails, clouds, waves, swords and fire et al. along with distinct but casually displayed features. Mr. Shannon knows that less means more and the roughness of his pictures are a terrific match for this story of two rough-and-ready women who must fight for their living in an uncultivated milieu that demanded flinty courage as well as flint and steel.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yolen presents an ode to pirate queens Anne Bonney and Mary Reade, who alone stood on the deck of the Vanity, and fought off invading sailors while the ship's male crew partied below. Once taken into custody, the women used a uniquely female excuse to avoid dancing at the end of the hangman's noose. The story is based on fact, though there seems to be some question over what actually became of the gals after the verdict was announced.

The marvelous illustrations are by David Shannon, best known for his No, David! books.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apparently these characters are based on two real women pirates that sailed in the 1700s.

I found the story just a touch dark, and the subject matter and writing style to be more for an older crowd, so although this is a picture book, I'm sure your third grader and up will appreciate it more.

Ages: 8 - 12

Cleanliness: a woman dresses like a man. There is mention of drinking and gaming.

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun poem in the Robert Louis Stevenson tradition telling the tale of pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Reade. There aren't enough "serious" pirate picture books out there! But this one could have benefited from a couple of verses about the women's daring exploits as pirates before their downfall and a picture of them fighting in action, instead of just getting captured.

Some parents might find awkward questions about how both Anne and Mary are pregnant at the end, with no mentions of fathers. Bet I'm going to see some negative reviews to that effect!

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stirring ballad of Caribbean pirates sings the praises and fortunes of Anne Bonny and shipmate Mary Read who battled to defend their ship when the forces of King’s navy boarded it one dark night, while the rest of the crew was drinking and gambling below decks, oblivious to their peril.

Yolen’s heroic verse and Shannon’s bold images show how the two heroines escaped the gallows that ended the lives of their fellows.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Anne Bonney and Mary Reade, two female pirates who sailed with “Calico Jack” Rackham on the Vanity. When the Vanity is captured by soldiers, Anne and Mary fight alone with the rest of the crew being drunk. They are all hauled off to jail. The rest of the crew are hanged, but Anne and Mary plead that they are pregnant and merely the wives of the pirates and are set free.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Ballad of the Pirate Queens” by Jane Yolen, David Shannon (Illustrator)
****
Beautifully illustrated poem of Anne Bonny and Mary Reade's journey on the 'Vanity' when confronted by the 'Albion'.
- - -

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a favorite in our home for years. Dug it out again today and the kids were thrilled when I started reading it. (We had just come to the 17th century in our history reading which was on pirates)...krb 1/4/17

[Story · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although my nine year old sister wasn't such a fan, I really enjoyed this book! The illustrations are incredible, and the story is really just very good. I definitely wouldn't recommend it for younger children, just because it's a little hard to understand.

[Kye Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story, based on the real pirate queens was fantastic. I loved it. The illustrations truly brought you into the 1720's story

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very fun and entertaining read. Highly recommend!

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and lady pirates yah

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to learn about, but it didn't work well for my son who read it aloud with me.

[Emily Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

For myself and my interest in pirates, I LOVED this book. I wouldn't say it's much for young children. Perhaps older children would enjoy it.

[Hallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was very poetic and had an interesting story plot, but I am not sure that it would be best to read to younger kids, but it was a cool story and had no idea it was based on a true story.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ballad of the Pirate Queens is a book that I picked up long before I ever planned to have a child or work as a children's librarian. It was just one of the books that are so stunning and so intriguing that I felt I had to have it for my own library. It was also my first encounter with Jane Yolen's writing. I have since become a huge fan of this amazingly prolific writer. Every book she writes, and she writes a staggering array, is pitch-perfect. The Ballad of the Pirate Queens with its mix of poetry and history reads like a troubadour's song. I dare you to not lilt as you read it out loud. What I love best about this book, however, is the spotlight on the female pirates.

This book also introduced me to David Shannon's work. Powerful and beautiful only just begin to describe the illustrations in this book. Some of the pieces of artwork in this book are so stand-alone-gorgeous that I would frame them and hang them on my wall if they were available as prints.

[Jennafer Haskell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ballad of the Pirate Queens was an interesting true story of two real women, Anne Bonney and Mary Reade, who fought harder and braver than any of the men they knew, but were still captured. This would have been the end of their story, had it not been for their pregnancies. They "pleaded their bellies" and were set free while the rest of their crew was hanged for piracy. They were hard-hearted, as Anne is said to have told her husband in prison, "I am sorry to see you here, but if you had fought like a man you need not be hange like a dog, " but they were also said to have likely both given up their lives of piracy upon their release and raised children in peace. This story is informative about a real event, and an extraordinary one at that. It is a fun read for anyone who likes pirates or believes in "girl-power".

[Katherine Cowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ballad adapts the real story of two real pirate queens. And this truly is a ballad--a song in poem form, with the refrain whose meaning modifies as the story goes on. These pirate queens are fierce, and, as necessity demands, unforgiving. The images are stunning and tell as much of the story as the words. While some kid books that use poetry have forced rhymes and awkward phrases, every line and word in this ballad is perfect poetry. I loved the way that history was integrated into story. My three year old wanted me to read it again and again. I suspect 4-7 year olds (and up) would love it as well.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reoccurring verse and the lyrical style are both very well done, though I was hung up on the meter a few times while reading this and had to reread a line to make it fit. It was a nice telling of the story of Mary Reade and Anne Bonney and did Calico Jack the appropriate disservice a scalawag such as him deserved. This is not at all the style I've grown used to seeing from David Shannon though. It was far more detailed and dark than other work he's done, particularly the pirate series he did. Impressive book.

[Amanda Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because it is about 2 pirate females. The story was pretty interesting and the illustrations were beautiful (by David Shannon). It was also neat because at the end, I found out that the book was based on a true story from the 1700s! I wouldn't recommend it for younger children though, because it talks about people getting hanged at the end.

[Benjamin Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrated by David Shannon,this is a marvelous ballad by the amazing writer Jane Yolen about the two legend-inspiring pirate queens Anne Bonney and Mary Reade,the two most famous females pirates of all time. David Shannon's illustrations are a beautiful complement to Yolen's lovely ballad!A winner!

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has more of a girl power vibe than I typically like in any book, but my girls wanted to make pirate treasure maps and play on the pretend ship at the adventure playground, and this book seemed like the perfect way to spark their imaginations. They did indeed find some inspiration for pretend play in this book, but I have to admit that they have never asked to hear it a second time.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted this book so bad I bought it off Ebay. I wasn't dissappointed! David Shannon is the illustrator (I didn't recognize him until much later). The pictures and prose make the book. It's real and not just for kids!

[Lisa M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Female pirates! Anne Bonney and Mary Reade aboard the Vanity, and their story. Was Calico Jack Rackham their ruin? Kids enjoyed it!

Merged review:

Female pirates! Anne Bonney and Mary Reade aboard the Vanity, and their story. Was Calico Jack Rackham their ruin? Kids enjoyed it!