The book that I chose to read for my third critical reflection was called The Pirate Queens. The book was based on the true story of the final voyage of female pirates Anne Bonney and Mary Reade. It portrays the scenario of how Bonney and Reade's ship The Vanity was overtaken by a government sent ship headed by Captain Albion. The story was one of war, pride, and deceit. The crew of The Vanity, consisting of all men, turne their back on the female pirates and chose not to assist in defending the ship. As a result, the ship is seized and burned and the entire crew was put to death. Bonney and Reade, however, were spared due to the fact that they were expecting children. At this particular time in history it was unthinkable to murder an unborn child regardless of the crimes of the mother. This book is a good read for young children for many reasons. For one, it is easy to read and understand. The author, Jane Yolen, does a great job of describing the scene in an easy to understand, entertaining way. There were several parts of the book that are written in rhyme which is something that I always enjoyed as a child because it made the text easier to follow. Also, ever couple of pages the book returns to a recurring phrase which emphasizes The Vanity's beauty, power, and presence as one of the great ships of the time. The literature is presented in a scroll fashion on the left page. This gives the book a feeling of the time it is describing. The background in which the words are written are a dull yellow which is consistent with how an old manuscript would look presently. Another fabulous aspect of the book is the illustrations. I am not in any way exaggerating when I say that the illustrations within this book are among the best I have ever seen. Each picture takes up the entire left side of the page. These pictures are extremely detailed in every aspect. David Shannon, who illustrated the book, did so with an acrylic paint on an illustration board. As a result is has a very rustic and real look to it which adds greatly to the overall appeal of the book. Each picture is very dark. This also gives the reader a feel for the time since lighting was at a minimal almost anywhere in the world, especially on sea. All of the pictures also have a phrase which describes who or what the picture is illustrating. For example there is a picture in the middle of the book which shows an enemy ship, called The Albion, approaching The Vanity. The caption reads, "The Albion engages the Vanity in battle." The idea that this book is good based solely on the fact that children would like it cut the potential of this book short. Often the idea of whether or not the book will appeal to children is what I focus on. Here, I think it is important to point out that this book is interesting enough to stand alone regardless of its intended audience. Overall, based on the illustrations alone, I think that this book is the best I have reflected upon to this point. Their is a lot of aesthetic appeal that really catches the eye and allows for a great deal of fantasy. This along with the interesting story that accompanies it are both reasons to share this adventure young children of both genders. The idea of pirate life will fascinate young boys while the fact that the two main characters were women will keep young girls interested.

I borrowed this book from my school library, since I was doing an Authorshare project for English. I was a bit surprised when I read this book, because the poetry was GREAT!!! She did some poems from a ghost's point of view, and they were funny! I laughed out loud when I read one entitled, "The Grammatical Witch". It talked about a student talking about how they saw a witch, but the teacher corrects him; according to her, it wasn't a WHICH, it was a WHO. I really enjoyed the poetry in this book and reccomend it to others.

Once again Jane Yolen creates a unique fantasy novel that left me reading it a second time. And a third. Not as complex as the "Pit Dragon" trilogy or as eerily poetic as the "Merlin" books, "Boots and the Seven Leaguers" is nonetheless good fun.

Gog is an average teen - oh wait, he's also a troll who has trouble with magic. It's just a matter of days before the rock band "Boots and the Seven Leaguers" shows up, and Gog and his friend Pook don't have tickets. The two manage to magic themselves into the concert as roadies - only to lose Gog's younger brother, Magog. The two troll-teens set off to find Magog and encounter such colorful creatures as the Huntsmen, Weed King, and the White Wyrm.

The characters are pretty much perfect. Any teen will see themselves in Gog, and his desperation both to find his little brother and to get back in time to see Boots perform. And who didn't have a best friend like Pook?

Yolen's writing is as snappily descriptive as ever, managing to be concise while bringing images into the reader's mind. There is, also, a decidedly funny undertone. The viewpoint is just non-human enough to make us see how a troll thinks without losing the reader's interest.

A fairly short but wonderfully-done book that I could read over and over.

This is a beautiful lyrical work about a culture founded on the belief of continual grieving both as an art form, a basis of racial memory and the way that the world is maintained.

The coming of man contaminated this world and the repercusions are severe and lasting.

A beautiful work that I strongly recommend to the thoughful among us.

This book really fills a big black hole in modern literature. The subject of toads in space has been constantly avoided, mishandled, and disregarded since the publication of Ivan Rabinavski's "Why Toads could never make it on the moon." Jane Yolen places the space-toad in its proper perspective in a beautiful and meaningful manner, pulling no punches and using no foul language. I loved it

Jakkin is a desperate slave -- that is, he's desperate to get his hands on a dragon. Finding that someone has miscounted the hatchlings in the dragon barn, Jakkin steals a healthy one away and secretly raises it. Will Jakkin ever train his dragon into a champion fighter? But suddenly these worries are swept away when Jakkin finds that someone has been following him. Will he be caught? A must-read.

The introduction by Patricia McKillip says it all: Jane Yolen's stories have become deeper and more complex, but still entertain, amaze, teach and enlighten.

I strongly recommend this collection of dragon and faerie stories to old and young alike.

I bought this book for my daughter when she was only 4 months old. It is a great story about an adventurous little mole who keeps exploring her world despite her sisters' (Meeny and Miney) trying to dissuade and discredit her! The illustrations are beautiful!

I thought that this book was excelent. The artwork was wonderful, and the storyline was entertaining. What I liked most about the book though is the hero of the story. She is a tiny, little girl. This book provides a great role model for children in its hero. I highly recommend this book, as well as many of the authors other books, to anyone, child or adult. It's a great read.

Not only is this collection marvelously diverse, but it's also incredibly easy to read. Though the tales still retain the feel of original storytelling, they do not have the awkward idiosyncracies you find in other texts with obscure (to the US) tales which have been litreally translated or transcribed. If you're tired of seeing the same tales in every book you find, get this one. It's a wonderful resource and just plain fun to own.