Pirates vs. Cowboys by Aaron Reynolds (review)

When all the usual treasure hiding spots of pirate Burnt Beard (an octopus-like creature who is "the scourge of the seven seas, the four oceans, and several lakes") are at capacity, he and his crew end up inland in Old Cheyenne, home of bison-like cowboy Black Bob McKraw, "the terror of the Old West." Since Burnt Beard can only parse in pirate and Black Bob can only communicate in cowboy, a misunderstanding soon erupts and escalates until the pirate crew and band of rustlers are on the verge of a showdown. Enter crocodilian Pegleg Highnoon, "the world's only pirate cowboy," who finds unexpected common ground between pirates and cow-boys: their stench. The over-the-top piratical and cowboy vernacular of Reynolds' narration is ripe for reading aloud ("[Black Bob's] gang of rip-roarin' rustlers were nastier than week-old chili, and twice as gassy"), and the pirates vs. cowboys theme will entertain a wide range of readers and listeners. Barneda's comical acrylic and colored pencil illustrations are a natural match for the cleverly absurd story, and illustrative details (Black Bob inexplicably has a sneering, potted cactus as one of his posse, while one member of Burnt Beard's crew appears to be a headscarf-wearing giant sea slug) provide plenty of visual humor. The dusty, muted tones of the Old West setting are attractively accented with the reds of bandannas and scarves. Read this one aloud with gusto, me hearties, for a rootin'-tootin' good time.