Pirate Treasure Map

Pirate Treasure Map: A Fairytale Adventure
Author: Colin Hawkins
Illustrator: Jaqui Hawkins
ISBN 13: 978-0763632052
Publisher: Candlewick Press

This book is FUN! Jack Hubbard, son of the Mother Hubbard of nursery rhyme fame along with his dog Patch hops aboard the ship Goosey Gander with his uncle Cap‘n Horatio Hubbard to help him find a lost treasure in a far away land. The book is filled with references to nursery rhyme characters and places. Jack runs into the Owl and the Pussycat, the Crooked Man, Hansel and Gretel and many others on his quest to find the treasure. There’s also a lovely treasure map tucked neatly into Cap’n Hubbard’s hat that a child can pull out and follow along with all the places that Jack visits. I love how the nursery rhymes and fairytale places got woven into the story.

The illustrations are fun too. The colors are bright and exciting, the faces are comical and fun. The whole book just makes me smile. It’s fun, fun, fun and little boys and girls are going to love it. My grandkids just laugh and laugh every time I read it. It’s fast become a family favorite with us. It reminds me of those old after school fractured fairytales.

About the AuthorColin and Jacqui Hawkins, creators of FAIRYTALE NEWS, are one of the most prolific and successful author-illustrator partnerships in the world of children's books. They live in Cork, Ireland.

The Queen Jade - Yxta Maya Murray

The Queen Jade is a story of the love between a mother and daughter, Lola and Juana Sanchez. Juana, the mother is an adventurous archeologist, while Lola, her daughter is content to read her books and supervise D&D tournaments in her quiet little bookshop, The Red Lion.

When Juana turns up missing during a hurricane in Guatemala, Lola, along with Eric Gomara, Juana’s colleague and rival begin to search for clues. They discover that Juana has gone off in search of The Queen Jade, a mythical blue jade stone of the ancient Maya said to impart its possessor with incredible power.

Lola and Eric set off to Guatemala in search of Juana, but to find Juana they must unlock the clues to finding the Queen Jade. The book takes the reader on a gorgeous tour of Guatemala and into the mind of the ancient Mayan. This is post-civil war Guatemala and there are still tensions between the soldiers and the people and the author touches this in such a way that it leaves an indelible mark on the reader.

This is a story of love and loss, of friendships broken and repaired, of secrets and lies, of discovery of ones self as well as of a country and a legend. The women in this book are strong, intelligent problem-solvers. They are multi-faceted and complicated, funny, loving and true. The book is riveting and fun. There are puzzles and riddles, poetry and legend. I found this book to be marvelously written and well researched. Yxta Maya Murray has outdone herself.