The Ballad of the Pirate Queens

Calico Jack Rackham and his pirate crew are below deck drinking and playing cards, when suddenly the Vanity is attacked by the Captain Jonathan Barnet's man-o'-war the Albion! Barnet has been sent by the governor from Jamaica's Port Maria Bay to capture the Vanity and bring its crew to justice.

Only the Vanity's two young look-outs are above deck as the Albion approaches. Though they shout down in warning, the rest of the crew chooses to remain below drinking and gambling. Knowing they have only each other, the brave look-outs stand back-to-back, braced for the onslaught.

These gallant young pirates are Anne Bonney and Mary Reade.

In The Ballad of the Pirate Queens, Jane Yolen captures the unsinkable spirit of the two most famous female pirates of the 18th Century. Not only does this book contain a captivating [somewhat] true story, but it is an amazing resource to jump start our curiosity. At the end of the book, Yolen provides a brief author's note on the capture of the real Mary Reade and Anne Bonney. She provides just a few of the many conflicting theories on the fate of Pirate Queens after their trial; in fact, a quick jump to wikipedia leads to even more theories (and even less evidence)!

The text contains a wealth of content specific vocabulary such as sloop, cay, and man-o'-war, as well as time period-inspired vernacular such as tunny fish, beguiled, and doughty. While it may be argued that the book would have benefitted from a glossary, it is an excellent opportunity to stretch a our comprehension and challenges us to find meaning for the words we do not understand.

Written in rhyming verse, the text truly is a ballad, complete with a repeating chorus. Once again, Yolen provides us with an excellent jumping off point for learning. The Ballad of the Pirate Queens is a wonderful resource to introduce and explore ballad tradition in both poetry and music. Unfortunately, at times the meter of the poem becomes choppy and uneven in ways that seem easily fixed.

David Shannon's visuals, however, leave us asking for nothing. From the sneering face of drunken Calico Jack to the daunting portrait of Mary and Anne standing back-to-back, dwarfed in the shadow of the approaching Albion, Shannon creates stunning visuals which add emotion to the lyrical text. There is also Shannon's clever mirroring throughout the book. The first and final chorus are accompanied by partner images labeled The Vanity and The Ghost Ship Vanity; moreover, the fierce battle between the the Pirate Queens and Barnet's men is brilliantly mirrored with a playful picture of the women and their grandchildren.

While this book is by no means perfect, it is a fantastic jumping off point with brilliant pictures that leaves us hungry for more information on these stunning women.