When two little fish with big personalities have to share the same tank, there are rough seas ahead!
Prince and Pirate are proud masters of their very own fishbowls, and life goes along swimmingly--until they're scooped up and plopped into shared waters.
Prince is horrified to find this cheeky cod trespassing in his kingdom. Pirate is sure this royal hiney has come to plunder his treasure.
And so begins a battle of regal sneers, seaworthy stink-eyes, and off-the-hook insults. Prince and Pirate's hilarious duel for territory will elicit gales of giggles, hearty guffaws, and heartfelt smiles. Just when it seems their struggle might end in a silly stalemate, a little surprise convinces them to get along--swimmingly.
Kirkus Starred Review
Two pet fish duke it out, scale to
scale.
Prince, an entitled goldfish, and
Pirate, a fish of a decidedly naughty nature, are content as can be within
their own little bowls. Then along comes the terrible day when they find
themselves sharing a single tank. Prince considers Pirate to be a downright
"cheeky cod," while Pirate can't stand sharing space with this
"worm-eaten peg leg." Taking a cue from classic movies and sitcoms of
yore, they make a line down the tank's center constructed from white pebbles.
But when a cute little dogfish enters their domain (complete with doghouse),
they both realize the only way to win its trust is to come to terms with each
other. While both the impetus for bringing these two mortal enemies together
and the final denouement fail to ring completely true, there's no denying that
the book is a godsend to pirate-themed storytimes nationwide. Gunnufson
delights in language, both Prince's high-falutin' royal speak and Pirate's
down-and-dirty buccaneer-inflected growl. Lowery, meanwhile, endows his
flippered foes with enough humor and heart to sink an ocean liner. Such jokes
as Pirate's surreptitious lift of his eye patch to better view Prince will not
go unnoticed.
A watery odd couple perfect for
potential royals and scurvy curs alike. (Picture book. 4-7)
Booklist
Prince rules the “round kingdom”
within his royal fishbowl, castle and all. Pirate similarly rules the “round sea”
within his fishbowl, yo-ho-ho-ing while keeping a watchful eye on
his ship and treasure. When a “dreadful journey” lands them both in a
rectangular fish tank, they are terrible at sharing, and they each embark on a
quest to outdo the other. Prince’s proper, snooty vernacular hilariously
contrasts with Pirate’s raw, salty language: “Halt, peasant!” says Prince, and
Pirate replies, “Avast, ye scurvy sea slug!” They just cannot get along,
eventually dividing up the tank to separate the kingdom from the high seas with
a line of rocks. Will these tiny fish with whale-sized pride ever get along
rather than fighting fin to fin? (Spoiler: Yes, but it takes a cuddly new
arrival to make it stick.) Lowery’s bold, brightly colored cartoonish illustrations
bring the over-the-top rivals to life in droll, eccentric scenes that emphasize
each fish’s hilarious habits. At first glance, this is pure silliness, but a
tidy lesson about sharing will rise to the surface. — Annie Greengoss
Publishers Weekly
Gunnufson’s goofy story about
acceptance and sharing introduces two pet fish who are content in their
separate bowls: Prince is a prim sort, with an underwater castle and carriage,
while rowdy Pirate sails his schooner and guards his treasure. When they’re
both plopped in a large fish tank, they are pleased with their expanded
domains—until they realize that they are sharing the tank, resulting in traded
insults (“You miserable mollusk!” “Ye worm-eaten peg leg!”) and a dividing line
of pebbles marking out their territories. Gunnufson (Halloween Hustle) gives
Pirate and Prince big personalities, and their respectively gruff and highbrow
comments will make for peppy readalouds. Their animosity ebbs with the arrival
of a “lost little dogfish,” who cowers in his miniature doghouse until Prince
and Pirate join forces to make him feel welcome. Lowery’s (A Squiggly Story)
vivid, loopy cartoons play up the cultural divide between the fishy
antagonists, and his hand-lettered, all-caps sound effects and action words
(“flick fling sling pitch hurl chuck” as the fish demolish their pebbled
dividing line) only add to the fun. Ages 5–8. Illustrator’s agency: Lilla
Rogers Studio. (May)
