This is an enigmatic, slightly troubling book. It opens, `Once upon a time there was a pirate named Boris van der Borch. He was tough. All pirates are tough', and continues in the same vein. The reader learns that Boris (like all pirates) is greedy, fearless, scary etc. Picture books in the tough-guy-gets-come-uppance genre usually take a comical twist, but Tough Boris ends with the lines, `But when his parrot died, he cried and cried. All pirates cry. And so do I'. This strange ditty is (almost) cemented in narrative by Kathryn Brown's bold, cartoonish images. She shows a shipload of pirates finding treasure - and a violin which is then stolen by a cabin boy, who goes on to mourn the parrot with Boris, then is put ashore by the pirates. That final, tearful line surely belongs to this boy, but why? Why is he sitting alone, watching the ship disappear? The pictures tell a tale, but one which requires much guesswork, or perhaps sheer imagination. The pleasure found in this book will largely depend on the reader's willingness to ponder, to make links, and ultimately to create their own story.

Nicola Robinson is a Blue Mountains-based writer and editor.

C. 1998 Thorpe-Bowker and contributors

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