Bash and the Pirate Pig - A Book Review

                                                               Bash and the Pirate Pig
                                                               Written by: Burton  Cole
                                                                Illustrated by: Tom Bancroft
                                                                Publisher: B&H Kids
                                                                Hardcover: 224 pages
                                                                $12.99




About Bash and the Pirate Pig:

Bash and the Pirate Pig, by Burton Cole, is the story of a cranky city kid named Raymond "Beamer" Boxby who must spend summer vacation  at his younger cousin Bash's farm.

Beamer prefers air conditioning and video games. He can't see what good will come of this so-called country fun that includes riding cows, river rafting with a pig, or playing with skunks.

But hang tight Beamer, because Bash's zany adventures  with his "Fishin' and Farmin" book (The Bible) just might lead to the coolest discovery of all.



About the author:

Burton Cole is a Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist with thirty years of experience and more than fifty humor writing awards to his credit. He grew up on a farm in northeast Ohio and attended a small-town church with a slew of cousins and buddies. That same
boyhood inspires his colorful stories today.


About the illustrator:

Tom Bancroft has more than twenty years of experience in the animation and illustration industry and worked with Disney on films including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, and Aladdin. Other clients have included DC Comics and Big Idea Productions.


Stay Connected:

B&H Kids Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BHPubKids

B&H Kids Publishing Twitter: @BHKidsBuzz

Website: http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/books/products.asp?p=9781433680694



How fun it is to get a new book in the mail, and when that book is a beautiful hardcover, it's all the more delightful! Just looking at this colorfully illustrated cover, filled with images of the wild and crazy adventures from the story, I was confident that this would be enjoyed by my tween daughters.

Part of our school day includes various books to read aloud every day. Bash and the Pirate Pig looked like it would be a great story for this purpose.
The main character, Raymond, gets what he thinks is horrible news- he has to spend the summer with his nutty cousin, Sebastian, a.k.a. "Bash". There were never two kids who were more opposite in nature, and to Raymond, it appears as if this will be the worst summer ever.

Bash finds a way to immediately get under his cousin's skin by dubbing him, "Ray Ray Sunbeam Beamer". He has a most annoying way of pulling Ray into the wildest schemes, often with city kid Ray as the butt of the jokes.

With character's with fun and eccentric names like Jehoshaphat Isaac Gobnotter, and Lulabelle Liechtenstein Daffodil Lee, this book kept my girls in constant giggles. Good ole Bash had a way of transforming ordinary farm life into amazing and exotic adventures. Ray Ray is pushed and pulled out of his quiet comfort zone, encouraged by his rambunctious cousin. Along the way, Bash is subtly teaching him truths from the Bible.  Eventually, Ray comes to see that he needs Jesus too, with Bash gently (or maybe not so gently ;) ) encouraging him in the background.

Towards the end of the story, there is a transformation in Ray. He is now the one heading up the adventures instead of chasing Bash. What began as an awful vacation now ends with Ray making plans to come back for more fun.

We enjoyed this book, especially all of the crazy names. My girls love to laugh, and this one gave us plenty of opportunity. God is present throughout the story, but gently, and naturally. It didn't feel forced, and I liked that. The end of the book has a parent section where you can go through several discussion questions, and an activity or two. There's also a preview of the author's next book.

There was only one small blip for me at the beginning of the book. There is a part where Ray uses the word schm--- ( rhymes with duck) My understanding of this word is not a kid friendly one, and I did find that inappropriate for the audience. Fortunately, I was reading that part aloud at the time, so I skipped over it. Apart from that, Bash and the Pirate Pig is a fun read for the family.


"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."