Commander Toad and the space pirates

Gr. 1-3. Any fan of Star Wars, Star Trek, or other books in this series will enjoy Yolen's snappy space adventure. Commander Toad and his crew on board the spaceship Star Warts are bored. Then, excitement reigns when Commander Salamander, the Scourge of the Skies, and his pirates attack the ship. A terrific fight ensues with Salamander (also known as Goon of the Galaxie) threatening to make Toad and all hop the plank. It's all wild and raucous and sometimes very silly, but it's just these qualities, plus easy words and short sentences, that will keep new readers, especially boys, going. Many of the illustrations appear in gray-shaded pencil, others are dabbed with greens and reds. Although well drawn, the sometimes bland color detracts from an otherwise exciting offering. IC. Toads-Fiction / Pirates-Fiction / Science fiction [CIP] 86-32748

Gr 13 Yolen's writing in this book is rhythmic but confusing. Commander Toad is captain of Star Warts and Mr. Hop, a frog, is his co-pilot. They are on a long trip, ``a boring trip . . . They have played leapfrog and hopscotch and croak-kay.'' The puns are abun dant but seem to be included only for effect. In many cases they are awkward and will not make sense to a beginning- to-read audience. Pirates, led by Com mander Salamander, board the Star Warts. They make the crew play a dan gerous game, ``Hop the Plank.'' By the time children wade through the confus ing text, they won't care whether the crew escapes. Most of Degen's illustra tions are black-and-white drawings, while a few are rendered in three col ors. All seem harsh and uninviting. The characters as illustrated seem very neu tral. There is nothing endearing about any of the ``good'' characters, and the ``villains'' are just ugly and unattrac tive. With so many other beginning-to- read books available, libraries can well pass on this one. Consider instead the books by James Marshall, Else Min arik, Arnold Lobel, and others. Shar ron McElmeel, Cedar Rapids Commu nity Schools, Iowa (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.