Granuaile the Pirate Queen

The father-daughter team kicks off their Little Library picture book series on Irish historical figures with their first subject: Gráinne O’Malley (1530–1603), aka the Pirate Queen. As a child, O’Malley is more intrigued by a life at sea than marriage. “Your beautiful long hair will get caught in the rigging,” her parents warn; she responds by cutting it off. Fatti Burke illustrates with solid shapes and rich colors (the evocative, deep blue of the sea contrasts sharply with O’Malley’s fiery red hair) and appealingly doll-like characters. O’Malley is pictured sword fighting fellow pirates (her newborn under one arm), defending her husband’s castle, and saving shipwrecked sailors, and a somewhat confusing interlude describes O’Malley’s kidnapping of a lord’s grandson. Despite promising Queen Elizabeth to retire from piracy, O’Malley “remained a fearless leader of both land and sea, the Pirate Queen of Mayo.” Back matter features additional facts as well as a timeline of O’Malley’s life. A playful introduction to an enigmatic figure. Ages 8–12. [em](Mar.) [/em]