My Dad thinks he's a pirate

In their fourth picture book about a dad who thinks he's funny, prolific and award-winning author Germein and illustrator Jellett hit the high seas for an ocean of piratical punnery. Over familiar, loosely connected scenes of a family's day at the beach--packing up supplies, settling onto a blanket, slathering on sunscreen, playing in the waves, drying off, fishing, picnicking, even finding treasure--a dad brims over with an endless wave of swashbuckling jokes, punctuated by a ginger-haired kid's repetition of the title's words as a tolerant aside. Full-bleed cartoonlike illustrations, in bright watercolors atop textured collages, show a genial, bearded dad immersed in having fun with his kids. Some of the clever wordplay may be over the heads of pre-readers, but the art generally supplies helpful clues--and there can certainly be great fun in the shared unpacking of a pun. With its bounty of groan-worthy dad jokes, this seafaring scenario will make a splash for fans of pirates and puns alike.

Spend a day at the beach with this pun-loving dad who's convinced he's a scurvy sea dog. "My dad thinks he's funny," the young narrator tells us. Dad, who's hanging up clothing to dry, proceeds to tell a joke ("Knock, knock." "Who's there?" "Turner?"). The next page's punchline: "Turner round, there's a pirate behind you!" From here on, every time the protagonist makes a comment, the father responds with a seaside-related pun, after which the child repeats, "My dad thinks he's a pirate." Upbeat cartoon art depicts the father, the narrating child, and other cheery-looking family members enjoying activities such as fishing and searching for treasure at the seashore. Some of the wordplay works visually and aurally (the dad claims that the flag is angry because "It has cross bones"), while some relies on understanding spelling (the father wears a patch over "one aye"). Despite this, pre-readers will enjoy the novelty as much as emergent readers, especially with the opportunity to chime in with the refrain of "My dad thinks he's a pirate." Nor will anyone misunderstand the flatulence jokes. When buried treasure appears, the text momentarily turns sentimental before quickly reviving its overall tone of lighthearted silliness. Dad, the protagonist, and the rest of the family are ruddy-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Yo-ho-ho! A hilarious read for jokesters and lovers of all things pirate. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.