Flyby Review: Bash and the Pirate Pig

This past month, we have been privileged to review Bash and the Pirate Pig by Burton Cole.  We have been using it for our daily read-aloud.  If you have an 8-12-year-old who enjoys books like Diary of A Wimpy Kid, this book will be a perfect addition to your library.  Even my jaded 14-year-old likes it!  

You remember what it was like, being at that awkward age between childhood and teen years when you wanted to be so grown up, but you had that childish cousin who was six months younger than you who was always getting you into trouble with his misadventures.  You know, that annoying kid who drove everyone nuts, but even when you tried to make fun of him, he just laughed along with you and considered it part of the fun?  Nothing gets to him, not even when you almost drown in the lake!  Add in the fact that he actually LIKES playing outdoors in the heat instead of sitting inside reading comic books with the AC cranked up, his pirate pig named Gulliver J. McFrederick the Third, and the fact that he's always talking about Jesus and the Bible (the cousin, not the pig), and you have the makings for one rotten summer.  Right?  No?  You mean you might actually start liking his adventures and thinking about that Jesus stuff?  Well, you will never know how the story ends for Ray-Ray Sunbeam Beamer - I mean, Raymond - unless you read the story for yourself!

This is the first book geared toward the preteen set I've read in quite a while that I would so enthusiastically recommend.  Cole's humorous writing conjures up a world of memories from my own childhood while adding some wild adventures and hilarious worst-case scenarios.  (What would happen if you actually DID get those city kids to go cow-tipping?!)  The writing style, characters, and plot-line appealed to all four of my children - ages 7-14 - while teaching some valuable lessons.

About the AuthorBurton Cole is a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist with thirty years of experience and more than fifty humor writing awards to his credit. He grew up on a farm in northeast Ohio and attended a small-town church with a slew of cousins and buddies. That same boyhood inspires his colorful stories today.  

About the Illustrator Tom Bancroft has more than twenty years of experience in the animation and illustration industry and worked with Disney on films including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Aladdin. Other clients have included DC Comics and Big Idea Productions.  

Bash and the Pirate Pig Written by: Burton Cole Illustrated by: Tom BancroftPublisher: B&H KidsHardcover: 224 pages $12.99

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If you'd like to win a free copy of Bash and the Pirate Pig,  either "follow" my blog here or "like" my page on Facebook, and leave a comment on this post with your contact information.  I will draw for a winner on Wednesday, September 25.

Happy Reading!  :-)

Disclaimer:  I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review.  No other compensation was given, and all opinions are my own.