Pirate Passover

PreS-Gr 1–This attempt to combine the appeal of pirates with the events of a seder falls flat. In concise, forced rhyme that doesn’t always scan, Captain Drew calls the pirate crew to prepare for Passover. No sooner are they seated for the seder than a storm hits, and the ship runs aground. Conveniently enough, a nearby house has its doors open, and they are welcomed in to celebrate the seder. There is very little story here. The preparations, along with the seder itself, are covered, though the Exodus story is limited to the line “the story was told/ of the Jews leaving Egypt on their trek brave and bold.” The elimination of the chametz (leavened bread) and the seder plate itself are depicted while still on the ship; the rest of the seder, from the kiddush (wine blessing) to the four questions to the afikomen are included on land. Characters are depicted with round heads and eyes and primarily appear to be white with curly hair, though there is one dark-skinned pirate. Illustrations are cartoonish with limited details. Full-bleed spreads, close-up images, and spot art move the story along and encourage page turns, but the attempt to capitalize on the appeal of pirates feels forced.