Mimi & Gustav in Pirates!

The unlikely romantic duo of Mimi the hippo and Gustav the mouse ( The Other Side of the Wall ) return for a perilous adventure on the high seas. While walking along the pier one evening, Mimi is swept into wicked pirate Captain Crook's giant net; the captain hopes to sell his ballet-dancing catch to the circus. Luckily, Gustav has boarded ship and uses his musketeering skills to outwit Captain Crook--and the pirate's hungry cat--and rescue his beloved. The buoyant Mimi then swims herself and Gustav safely to shore. Woychuk delivers an unaffected plot chock full of swashbuckling energy. Young listeners already on the edge of their seats will thrill to questions such as ``What would become of her?'' and ``How could he ever find her in the dark?'' that maintain the text's fever pitch. Howard's vibrant watercolors use deep purple for ``night as black as squid's ink'' and bright, tropical parrot and crocodile greens. The paintings also vary in perspective, highlighting the obvious humor in the relative sizes of the two protagonists. Ages 4-up. (May)