Pirate Stew by Neil Gaiman (review)

Gaiman, Neil Pirate Stew; illus. by Chris Riddell. Quill Tree, 2020 [48p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780062934574 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780062934581 $12.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 5-8 yrs

When Mom and Dad go out on the town, a young brother and sister are left under the watch of Long John McRon, ship's cook, who immediately loads the house up with pirates. After the pirates deliberate over what dinner to prepare for the kids, McRon suggests a pirate stew, which consists of onions, carrots, leeks, "the seeds that feeds the parrots," "limes to fend off scurvy," and "half a sack of gold doubloons," among other things. The siblings are reluctant to partake in the stew, especially considering the main mantra: "Pirate stew, pirate stew, pirate stew for me and you!/Eat it and you won't be blue!/You'll become a pirate too!" After a brief stint where the siblings' house turns into a flying pirate ship, Mum and Dad return home, peckish, and eat the untouched stews. "And that is why, since then, we've had a Pirate Mum and a Pirate Dad." Gaiman's rhyming verse is fun and delightfully nonsensical, guaranteed enjoyment for a storytime setting. Though the mixed-race siblings show a sensible wariness toward the Cat in the Hat–esque pirates, audiences will be won over by their piratical joy and occasional surprisingly unpiratical behaviors ("Pirates always pay their share," the pirates boast as they ante up for stale doughnuts at a bakery). Riddell's exquisitely detailed art in watercolor and colored pencil against plain white backgrounds contributes to the merriment, showing off hair curls that take up entire pages and elaborate pirate gear. This is a lively pirate outing for any fan of nautical or just plain silly humor.