ANNOTATION

Filling in for Captain Cur's dead parrot, Barr the teddy bear proves herself to be a brave and useful companion to the pirate.

SYNOPSIS

"I have no bird," snarled the Cur. "I have no monocle. Me near vision's a blur, and me mood is bad and getting worse. So what are you going to do about it?"

Poor Captain Cur! Hard-pressed to help their grouchy captain, his crew scrambles to find a replacement bird and eyepiece. But the substitute "parrot" they come up with is—a teddy bear. Thank goodness Captain Cur's eyesight is so bad. Now all his men have to do is train a walking, talking teddy to fill in until a real parrot turns up. Barr the teddy bear gets a crash course in squawking, swaggering, and being brave—while showing her new pirate friends that appearances aren't everything.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Long John Silver meets Winnie-the-Pooh in this goofy yarn by an author-and-illustrator team making their children's book debut. The high-seas shenanigans start when Captain Cur, who wears an eyepatch on one eye and a monocle on the other, loses his eyepiece and his parrot. Cur sends his first and second mates, Spittleton and Loot, to filch a new eyepiece and a new bird, but the mischievous Loot hides the replacement monocle and gives Cur a golden-brown stuffed bear for his shoulder. Cur's crew chortles at the sight of the unknowing captain and his plush toy (humorously nicknamed "Barr"), but the teddy takes piracy seriously and earns the respect of the scalawag bunch. While Barr is original, the pirates themselves are a stereotypical lot of snaggletoothed misfits, and the overlong text depends on clich . Stuffed-animal lovers may give this tale a hearty har har, but others may tire of the coy characterizations ("I'm a walking, talking teddy," Barr declares) and the distended, one-joke plot. Ages 5-7. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Children's Literature - Childrens Literature

Captain Cur's pirates steal a teddy bear instead of a new parrot for their surly near-sighted cap'n, and are they ever in trouble. When they discover that it's a walking, talking, teddy bear, however, things start to brighten up. The little one learns to squawk, bite, spit, and sit on her captain's shoulder. Better yet, she strikes the dreaded "giggles of fear" into the hearts of enemies. The comic illustrations and adorable little teddy are a perfect complement to the tough-talking pirates, and they help to hold the somewhat confusing dialog together. This would be a fun read-aloud for a swash-buckling, rowdy pre-school circle time. 2000, Tricycle Press, Ages 3 to 6, $14.95. Reviewer: Nancy Partridge

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-When his parrot dies and he accidentally steps on his monocle, Captain Cur demands that his band of pirates replace them. With their next plunder, they unwittingly return with a talking teddy bear-a "girlie teddy" no less-instead of a bird. The visually impaired Cur places the bear on his shoulder and the pirates break out in laughter. Quartermaster Bellows explains "'Tis the dreaded `giggles of fear'-Why your bird leapt at the men, and they be afeared of it." The pirates teach the bear how to squawk, spit, and swashbuckle, and at the next raid, the besieged sailors break out in howls of laughter, surrendering their merchant ship. But the pirates meet their match when they encounter Captain McDagger on the Sea Weasel. Captain Cur's days are numbered unless his teddy bear can save the day. Most illustrations are on detailed, colorful double-page spreads that include inset images. The characters are drawn with a wide array of expressions that enhance the story. In one scene, McDagger is shown faceless in shades of gray, descending like a shadow behind the unsuspecting Cur. Consider adding this lengthy yarn where pirate stories are in high demand.-Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Midwest Book Review

Jim McFarland illustrates this whimsical story of Captain Cur, a grouch who has just lost his bird. The substitute parrot is a teddy bear -- good thing Cur's eyesight is bad. Parents will find this a very different read-aloud choice with unexpected twists.