Yolen, Jane. 1995. THE BALLAD OF THE PIRATE QUEENS. Ill. By David Shannon. San Diego: Voyager Books. 0152018859.
In The Ballad of the Pirate Queens by Jane Yolen, the author tells the story of the two female pirates aboard the ship Vanity. The two female pirates defend the ship from attack as the men are below partying and drinking. The do not here the women call for back up and eventually the ship is overtaken by the Albion. The female pirates are taken captive and placed on trial. While all the male pirates are sentenced to be, “Hanged on the gallows tree,” the female pirates plead their “bellies” and the judge allows each too live, refusing to “…kill the sinless child…” Mystery surrounds the remainder of each of the brave female pirates and if they were even pregnant as they claimed. The illustrations beautifully portray life on the sea and the events surrounding the trial carrying the reader along for the trip. The dark acrylic illustrations of the ships, trials and dungeons, reflect the dark mood of the ballad and the dangers of sea life. Each character is given a shadowing appearance reflective of the shadowy life style of piracy and the mystery surrounding this tale.
The mystery and adventure surrounding these two female pirates, Anne Bonneyand Mary Reade, rhythmically builds in a traditional ballad form. The narrative advances the story with rich imagery and dialogue with a strong musical refrain throughout the piece. It is a great opportunity to build a readers theater opportunity. It would be especially fitting for Women’s History Month.
“And silver the coins and silver the moon,
Silver the waves on top of the sea,
When the pirate ship comes sailing in,
that gallant Vanity.”
It reminds the reader of the fundamental core of
piracy with mention of the coins and waves and the risk pirates take to live
this life. The nontraditional aspect offered in the traditional ballad format
of the two females who bravely fight while the men drink rum and carouse below,
leads into an anthem for strong, clever women. Since this piece is a great
example of ballad poetry, it would be a nice extension to discuss the elements
and have the students research their own historical event and create a ballad
poem from that event.
The closing pages blend together to leave the reader with an air of mystery surrounding the strong female characters. Although Jack and the cowardly crew are tormented ghostly souls that will never rest, the author offers a twist by stating the Anne and Mary, “Never a rest get they. But Anne and Mary’s children around the household play.” The book wraps up with a recount of the facts of the female pirates involved in the book.
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