Captain Barbosa and the Pirate Hat Chase
Age 5+
Comic Strip Fiction / Graphic Novels
A sweet wordless pirate adventure, with lots of slapstick and a surprise ending. A great pick for first-time graphic-novel readers.
In this wordless graphic novel, Captain Barbosa sails the seven seas with his trusty shipmates: a fly, an alligator, and an elephant. When a seagull steals his treasured hat, Barbosa and his crew give chase through a nasty storm. When Barbosa reaches the seagull’s island, he finds the hat—along with a nest of baby seagulls—and decides even pirates can forgive and forget.
Creators
Jorge González was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has been living in Spain for the last two decades. He tells all sorts of stories in all sorts of ways, with pastels, colored pencils, ink, and digital tools. He has published a number of graphic novels in Europe for grown-up readers, such as the books Fueye and Dear Patagonia. He has also contributed to The New Yorker and many other publications.
Reviews
In this charming, wordless graphic novel, readers will see that unexpected events can turn an ordinary day into a spectacular one. Captain Barbosa sails the rough seas with his ragtag crew of a mosquito, elephant, and crocodile. When a seagull sets her sights on the captain’s hat, she decides she needs it more than him and flies away with it. The captain and his crew follow her, run into a sea monster, and eventually find out exactly why she needed his trusty pirate hat in the first place. The beautifully drawn illustrations contain ample depth and feeling within the traditionally paneled story, and, with the absence of words, the illustrations have even more room to shine. The muted colors bring the sea monsters and animal crews vibrantly to life, while the softly colored pencil drawings charmingly reveal the way this solitary pirate crew makes a few new friends during their sea journey. A great wordless graphic novel for those new to the format or those who like to fill in the words themselves,
Booklist
This wordless graphic novel is fun and easy to follow. The artwork is soft and bright, and the palette is pleasant and works well with the seafaring theme. The characters are expressive and appealing, which adds humor to the narrative. VERDICT Fans of graphic novels and funny adventure stories will enjoy making up the words to this wordless tale.
School Library Journal
