Peggony-Po is no ordinary sailor boy. From the time he was in burlap booties, he could climb the mainmast faster than you could say "there blows!" He can tie a knot to rival any of the crew and swim more swiftly than a dolphin. But the most unusual thing about Peggony-Po? He was carved from the piece of driftwood that saved his father’s life after he tried to capture Cetus, the biggest, meanest whale of them all.
In American tall-tale style, but with themes reminiscent of Moby-Dick and Pinocchio, this is the story of a boy's pursuit of the massive whale who has taken his father Galleon's leg. Ever since the day Galleon wished upon the Northern Lights and Peggony-Po magically came to life, the boy has vowed to seek revenge on Cetus. And now, with the whole ship’s crew betting for or against him, Peggony-Po sets out to do just that.
Set on an 18th century whaling ship, this is a lively, swashbuckling original yarn with fantastic illustrations by an award-winning team.
Starred Review. Kindergarten-Grade 4–Told with humor and verve, this rollicking tall tale is about a wooden boy named Peggony-Po who promises to catch the monster whale that bit off his daddy's leg: after all, he caught his first whale when he was only four years old. When he goes off to capture Cetus, he eschews having a boat: a masterful illustration shows him riding a wave as he chases the whale, who ingeniously exudes attitude. Cetus rams through a school of fish, so Peggony-Po did underwater cartwheels to keep those fish from crying. He never slowed down. As Peggony-Po rides Cetus from tropical waters to icy coasts, he crows, What a way to see the world! Richly descriptive similes–as feisty as a kettle of just-caught fish and Like a pressing iron flattening a shirtsleeve–and phrases such as He [Cetus] loved to smash boats with a single slam of his tail convey dynamically both the absurdity and thrilling adventure of this story, and the illustrations brim with activity and energy. Peggony-Po dances a jig from the lookout mast, he becomes alive and starts talking to his father as he is sculpted, and Cetus blows boats into the sky and rails off a fence. Every library will want to buy at least one copy of this exuberant story that begins with a whale, ends with a whale, and has a whole lot of whale in its middle.
–Kirsten Cutler, Sonoma Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
K-Gr. 2. In this original tall tale, Galleon, an African American sailor with a peg leg, takes a piece of driftwood and carves the figure of a boy, which comes to life. Galleon calls him Peggony-Po and takes him as a son. After learning that Cetus the whale ate Galleon's leg, Peggony-Po leaps into the sea to pursue the enormous creature. Their battle of strength, wits, and determination goes on for days before Peggony-Po finally defeats the whale. The boy is a feisty, likable hero, and apart from the hard-to-sing sea chantey (no tune is provided), his fast-paced story makes a good read-aloud. Full of action and almost musical, thanks to swirling lines and repeated forms, the artwork conveys a sense of both the whale's menacing size and the boy's indomitable spirit. The final page offers a short introduction to black whalers in American history, a brief glossary, and one further-reading recommendation, which is more suitable for older readers. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Did you find this review helpful?