THE BALLAD OF THE PIRATE QUEENS Illustrated by David Shannon Harcourt Brace 1995 ISBN #0-15-200710-5 Harcourt hardcover ISBN #0-15-200710-5 Harcourt Voyager paperback

My editor Bonnie Verberg called and said that David Shannon--with whom I had just done ENCOUNTER--was dying to do a new book with me. (And I him!) She said he was fascinated by pirates and she had suggested women pirates. Did I know if there were any? Did I! My very first published book had been PIRATES IN PETTICOATS back in 1963, the only book of its kind to this day for young readers. "Write a ballad," she said, "something that will replace all those old war-horses still used in schools." So I told the story of Ann Bonney and Mary Reade, those two great friends and partners-in-crime, in bouncy rhyme. Shannon did an incredibly powerful job on the art. I understand a couple of folk singers have put the ballad to music. It was a featured selection of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club, a nominee for Vermont's Red Clover Award, and an ALA Notable in 1996.

                 Both editions are in print.

See a review in Rambles - a cultural arts magazine (on the Web).

What reviewers have said: "Finally, equal time for female ruffians. In this picture book for older readers, Yolen's ballad recounts the last stand of Anne Bonney and Mary Reade, real-life women pirates of the early 1700s. Yolen's jingly rhymes...lend themselves well to theatrical reading aloud. Shannon's very handsome acrylic paintings convey the tale's excitement with dramatic compositions in bold reds against smoky backgrounds. The eighteenth-century feeling is enhanced by pen-and-ink borders and the use of a parchment-colored background for the text. Pirate fans will enjoy Yolen's informative author's note--and the alluring skull and crossed swords on the back cover." -- Booklist

"Yolen's spirited verse relates the capture of the legendary pirates Anne Bonney and Mary Reade, who defended their ship alone while the men of the crew gambled below decks. The painterly artwork occasionally depicts the action but mainly alternates between portraits of the characters and illustrations of the ships at sea." -- The Horn Book

" Ironic in their stateliness, Shannon's paintings-framed, captioned in a scrawled script and otherwise composed to evoke the 18th century-display a sly humor; Mary and Anne in profile "pleading their bellies" before a judge will elicit chuckles. Not for everyone, but offbeat and grimly amusing." -- Publishers Weekly

"Exquisitely dramatic, and sometimes a little scary, images in the style of N.C. Wyeth illustrate this poem of the capture and freeing of the famous women pirates Anne Bonney and Mary Reade. The strong, memorable verse also continues the tradition of pirate mystique, although very small children will miss the irony of the two female renegades "pleading their bellies." -- Children's Literature


''Yolen writes a most unusual ballad of pirate adventure that sings the history of Anne Bonney and Mary Reade, the only 2 women of the 12 pirates aboard the Vanity. ... Shannon's acrylics are rich, dark, and realistic, and expand upon the story. Faces glow as they did in his work for Rafe Martin's Rough-Face Girl (Putnam, 1992). The depth of the art is reminiscent of great classic illustrators working in oil, especially N.C. Wyeth. This is not for the faint of heart-no good pirate story is-as pirates are not a God-fearing lot. But it is for those who crave high adventure, death-defying acts, and an unflinching glimpse into history. A rousing read-aloud." -- School Library Journal

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