Poetry: Shiver Me Timbers!

Shiver Me Timbers!
By Douglas Florian
Illustrated by Robert Neubecker

Florian, Douglas, and Robert Neubecker. Shiver Me Timbers. New York City, NY: Beach Lane Books, 2012. 9781442413214

Plot Summary

Ahoy, matey! Pirates are running loose in this collection of nineteen pirate-y poems. Learn about the way they dress, the way they talk, the pirate code of conduct, their buried treasure and punishments, and the yucky food they eat. Privateers or buccaneers, they "have no fear". They battle, raid, and plunder rubies, gold, and diamonds, "all that thar hands can hold".

Analysis

Douglas Florian and Robert Neubecker have brought pirates to life in these nineteen poems. Each poem has an easily identified rhythm that makes it fun to read aloud. Some of the poems have an AABB, ABCA, or ABAB rhyme scheme, so readers might be able to follow along and guess the feel of these poems easier. Though this is fictional poetry, there are some facts scattered throughout. Poems about Blackbeard and Captain Kidd and his buried treasure are sure to delight and catch the attention of any fans of pirates. Florian has used his humor to bring lighthearted and silly poems about pirates to children all over, regardless of age.

Robert Neubecker's illustrations were created with India ink on watercolor paper and then colored digitally. Reading the poems before looking at the illustrations can be a fun exercise because they reflect the imagery of the words so well. Neubecker uses thick black lines and bright colors that are engaging and full of detail despite being a more simplistic style.

A review from Kirkus Reviews states, "It’s not a stretch to say that if Shel Silverstein himself were to have dabbled in the piratical he could not have come up with a better selection of scurvy doggerel than the delicious verses found here.”

Florian, Douglas. “SHIVER ME TIMBERS!,” August 28, 2012. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/douglas-florian/shiver-me-timbers/.

Awards

Garden State Children's Book Award Nominee (NJ)

NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

Connections

This book would be excellent for a story time on Talk Like A Pirate Day on September 19th. Children could dress up as pirates and practice saying pirate-y words from the poems as the teacher or librarian read aloud.

Other pirate themed books to be paired with this one.

Long, Melinda: How I Became a Pirate. 9780152018481

Duddle, Jonny. The Pirate Cruncher. 9780763648763

For older children:

Captain William Lubber: Pirateology: The Pirate Hunter's Companion. 9780763631437