View source for The Jolly Dodgers! Pirates Who Pretended by Neil Griffiths and Janette Louden

{{infobox2
|title=The Jolly Dodgers! Pirates Who Pretended
|sort=Jolly Dodgers! Pirates Who Pretended, The
|author=Neil Griffiths and Janette Louden
|reviewer=Rachael Spencer
|genre=For Sharing
|rating=4
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=1908702125
|pages=32
|publisher=Red Robin Books
|date=October 2014
|aznuk=1908702125
|aznus=1908702125
|cover=1908702125
|website=
|video=
|summary=A book with wonderful design, brilliant concept and a good read for any young pirate desperate to sail the seven seas. 
}}
I’ll get started with this point; the layout of this book is utterly wonderful. It’s got a great subject matter, pirates are always popular both with adults and children, and the story of a group of pirates who don’t really want to be pirates but who are being forced into it by their pushy wives, is a terribly entertaining one. But it is the layout, style and all the extras which are working the hardest in this book's favour.

I love the way that it starts out with facts about pirates, with illustrations and lots of terminology which make it a book which can span plenty of age ranges. It’s a very clever approach, by sandwiching the story between some bits and pieces of non-fiction, this book could sit just as happily in a school classroom to be used in projects as it would on a bookshelf for story time. This is the aspect of the book which works best - its versatility.

The illustrations are great; bright and inviting with plenty of laughs and fun details. The fact the story’s illustrations are in full colour, whereas the facts are simply line drawn, and the back story illustrated in monochrome, give it a great visual impact as a whole. 

I think there was room for the ending of this story to be somehow funnier than it turned out being, with such a great premise and excellent design, I couldn’t help but feel the end fizzled out ever so slightly. That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope that the door has been left open for a follow up - or maybe the same type of book on a different subject. 

This book only narrowly misses out on utter brilliance, but it is definitely one to check out, and I'm sure it will be a really popular title.

If pirates are your thing, then don't forget to check out [[Polly Parrot Picks a Pirate by Peter Bently and Penny Dann]] or [[Class Three All At Sea by Julia Jarman and Lynne Chapman]] for some more sea-faring adventures!

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[[Category:Neil Griffiths]]
[[Category:Janette Louden]]