Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor

Mervyn Peake. Candlewick Press (MA), $16.99 (48pp) ISBN 978-0-7636-1625-0

When an unprincipled pirate alights on a pink island, he forms an unlikely alliance with a lonely Yellow Creature in Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor (1939) by Mervyn Peake. Intricate line drawings of the motley crew ""Jonas Joints, the first mate,"" ""Charlie Choke"" and ""Peter Poop"" the cook among them share quarters with his hand-lettered text. ( Nov.)

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