What do you think?
Rate this book
Maggie and the Pirate
When Maggie's pet cricket is stolen, she andher friends embark on a search for the "pirate" thief which ends in a small tragedy, but the making of a new friend.
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
About the author
Ezra Jack Keats
110 books361 followersEzra Jack Keats was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He won the 1963 Caldecott Medal for illustrating The Snowy Day, which he also wrote. Many of Ezra’s stories are about a group of friends growing up in the city. The neighborhood they live in looks like the streets where Ezra grew up in Brooklyn, New York.
He was born Jacob Ezra Katz, the third child of Polish-Jewish immigrants Benjamin Katz and Augusta Podgainy. The family was very poor. Jack, as he was known, was artistic from an early age, and joyfully made pictures out of whatever scraps of wood, cloth and paper that he could collect. Benjamin Katz, who worked as a waiter, tried to discourage his son, insisting that artists lived terrible, impoverished lives. Nevertheless, he sometimes brought home tubes of paint, claiming, "A starving artist swapped this for a bowl of soup."
With little encouragement at home, Keats sought validation for his skills at school and learned about art at the public library. He received a medal for drawing on graduating from Junior High School 149. Although unimpressive-looking, the medal meant a great deal to him, and he kept it his entire life. Keats attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where he won a national contest run by Scholastic for an oil painting depicting hobos warming themselves around a fire. At his graduation, in January 1935, he was to receive the senior class medal for excellence in art. Two days before the ceremony, Benjamin Katz died in the street of a heart attack. When Keats identified his father's body, he later wrote, "I found myself staring deep into his secret feelings. There in his wallet were worn and tattered newspaper clippings of the notices of the awards I had won. My silent admirer and supplier, he had been torn between his dread of my leading a life of hardship and his real pride in my work."
His father's death curtailed his dream of attending art school. For the remainder of the Great Depression until he was drafted for military service in World War II, Keats took art classes when he could and worked at a number of jobs, most notably as a mural painter under the New Deal program the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and as a comic book illustrator. At Fawcett Publications, he illustrated backgrounds for the Captain Marvel comic strip. He spent his military service (1943-45) designing camouflage patterns for the U.S. Army Air Force. In 1947, he petitioned to legally change his name to Ezra Jack Keats, in reaction to the anti-Semitic prejudice of the time.
Keats spent most of 1949 painting and studying in Paris, realizing a long-deferred dream of working as an artist. After returning to New York, he focused on earning a living as a commercial artist, undoubtedly influenced by his father's anxieties. His illustrations began to appear in Reader's Digest, The New York Times Book Review, Collier's and Playboy, and on the jackets of popular books. His work was displayed in Fifth Avenue store windows, and the Associated American Artists Gallery, in New York City, gave him exhibitions in 1950 and 1954.
In his unpublished autobiography, Keats wrote, "I didn't even ask to get into children's books." In fact, he was asked to do so by Elizabeth Riley of Crowell, which brought out his first children's title, Jubilant for Sure, written by Elisabeth Hubbard Lansing, in 1954. To prepare for the assignment, Keats went to rural Kentucky, where the story takes place, to sketch. Many children's books followed, including the Danny Dunn adventure series, by Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin, and an ethnographic series by Tillie S. Pine and Joseph Levine, beginning with The Indians Knew. All told, Keats illustrated nearly 70 books written by other authors.
In 1983, Keats died at the age of 67 following a heart attack. His last projects included designing the sets for a musical version of his book The Trip (which would later become the stage production Captain Louie), designing
He was born Jacob Ezra Katz, the third child of Polish-Jewish immigrants Benjamin Katz and Augusta Podgainy. The family was very poor. Jack, as he was known, was artistic from an early age, and joyfully made pictures out of whatever scraps of wood, cloth and paper that he could collect. Benjamin Katz, who worked as a waiter, tried to discourage his son, insisting that artists lived terrible, impoverished lives. Nevertheless, he sometimes brought home tubes of paint, claiming, "A starving artist swapped this for a bowl of soup."
With little encouragement at home, Keats sought validation for his skills at school and learned about art at the public library. He received a medal for drawing on graduating from Junior High School 149. Although unimpressive-looking, the medal meant a great deal to him, and he kept it his entire life. Keats attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where he won a national contest run by Scholastic for an oil painting depicting hobos warming themselves around a fire. At his graduation, in January 1935, he was to receive the senior class medal for excellence in art. Two days before the ceremony, Benjamin Katz died in the street of a heart attack. When Keats identified his father's body, he later wrote, "I found myself staring deep into his secret feelings. There in his wallet were worn and tattered newspaper clippings of the notices of the awards I had won. My silent admirer and supplier, he had been torn between his dread of my leading a life of hardship and his real pride in my work."
His father's death curtailed his dream of attending art school. For the remainder of the Great Depression until he was drafted for military service in World War II, Keats took art classes when he could and worked at a number of jobs, most notably as a mural painter under the New Deal program the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and as a comic book illustrator. At Fawcett Publications, he illustrated backgrounds for the Captain Marvel comic strip. He spent his military service (1943-45) designing camouflage patterns for the U.S. Army Air Force. In 1947, he petitioned to legally change his name to Ezra Jack Keats, in reaction to the anti-Semitic prejudice of the time.
Keats spent most of 1949 painting and studying in Paris, realizing a long-deferred dream of working as an artist. After returning to New York, he focused on earning a living as a commercial artist, undoubtedly influenced by his father's anxieties. His illustrations began to appear in Reader's Digest, The New York Times Book Review, Collier's and Playboy, and on the jackets of popular books. His work was displayed in Fifth Avenue store windows, and the Associated American Artists Gallery, in New York City, gave him exhibitions in 1950 and 1954.
In his unpublished autobiography, Keats wrote, "I didn't even ask to get into children's books." In fact, he was asked to do so by Elizabeth Riley of Crowell, which brought out his first children's title, Jubilant for Sure, written by Elisabeth Hubbard Lansing, in 1954. To prepare for the assignment, Keats went to rural Kentucky, where the story takes place, to sketch. Many children's books followed, including the Danny Dunn adventure series, by Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin, and an ethnographic series by Tillie S. Pine and Joseph Levine, beginning with The Indians Knew. All told, Keats illustrated nearly 70 books written by other authors.
In 1983, Keats died at the age of 67 following a heart attack. His last projects included designing the sets for a musical version of his book The Trip (which would later become the stage production Captain Louie), designing
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 22, 2017
Maggie's pet cricket Niki has been stolen by someone calling himself THE PIRATE.
Can she and her friends find the culprit, and get Niki back?
Keats's illustrations are always lovely, though the story to this one is rather weak.
Can she and her friends find the culprit, and get Niki back?
Keats's illustrations are always lovely, though the story to this one is rather weak.
September 2, 2015
_Maggie and the Pirate_ fits closest with _Clemintina's Cactus_ and _Goggles!_ in Keats' canon. As a story about a young girl who lives in a van and keeps a cricket for a pet, all to have the cricket taken (and eventually killed by accident) because another boy is jealous that her father makes things for her and his father is absent, it's not the most uplifting or happy book. But something about the group of children sitting together at the end listening to another cricket's song in silence is touching - though, I'm still a bit conflicted about how much I actually like the book.
September 15, 2008
this is by far, hands down, my favorite book as a kid. maggie, with her special pet cricket, faces, confronts and throws down with the neighborhood bullies who steal her little one...she was so my hero! the story rocked my world and has stuck with me all these years as i think about my influences around independence, self preservation, surviving as an introvert, gender and power. my little sister recently found my copy of it and gave it to me...so it is now back on my own book shelf. rad.
February 26, 2014
Pretty illustrations. Odd story.
http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/...
http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/...
April 4, 2023
Too dark
October 2, 2013
Basic plot: Maggie has to save her pet cricket from the "pirate" who stole it.
This book leaves me feeling very conflicted. It's a kids' picture book, so it shouldn't make me feel that way, right? RIGHT??? Well.
We find out on nearly page 1 that Maggie lives with her parents in a van. That's right folks, our protagonist is HOMELESS. Now, based on the art and the copyright, I'm assuming this is supposed to be a whimsical, flower-child kind of thing. It wasn't. That one fact kind of turned the whole book into a bit of a horror for me. Lemme tell you, it also really confused my son, who was expecting a more traditional pirate tale. It wasn't. The "pirate" is only another kid, not a pirate at all. I'm not even sure, really, why the term was used. baffling.
The art was very earth-toned and impressionistic, which means I didn't particularly like it. I prefer colors and sharper definition to illustrations, but that's my personal taste, and you may feel free to have your own.
Overall, I'd have to say it was a weird, little book, and I didn't terribly like it. It'll be heading back to the library ASAP.
This book leaves me feeling very conflicted. It's a kids' picture book, so it shouldn't make me feel that way, right? RIGHT??? Well.
We find out on nearly page 1 that Maggie lives with her parents in a van. That's right folks, our protagonist is HOMELESS. Now, based on the art and the copyright, I'm assuming this is supposed to be a whimsical, flower-child kind of thing. It wasn't. That one fact kind of turned the whole book into a bit of a horror for me. Lemme tell you, it also really confused my son, who was expecting a more traditional pirate tale. It wasn't. The "pirate" is only another kid, not a pirate at all. I'm not even sure, really, why the term was used. baffling.
The art was very earth-toned and impressionistic, which means I didn't particularly like it. I prefer colors and sharper definition to illustrations, but that's my personal taste, and you may feel free to have your own.
Overall, I'd have to say it was a weird, little book, and I didn't terribly like it. It'll be heading back to the library ASAP.
June 23, 2019
Maggie and the Pirate is the best book I've read by Ezra Jack Keats. The ingenious illustrations and subtle, emotional story converge to perfection, especially at the end.
Maggie's happy days paddling her raft around her home with her pet cricket, Niki, joining the expeditions in her cage, are interrupted one day when an unknown person, calling himself "Pirate", swipes Niki and her cage. Maggie and her other friends urgently search the neighborhood for her tiny friend, putting up signs intended for the "Pirate" to communicate that he's welcome to keep the cage if he returns Niki, but the kidnapper doesn't take the deal. When Maggie finally happens upon her cricket, she also learns that the "Pirate" is the new kid in town...but in the struggle to regain her friend, something bad happens that can't be undone.
In a memorable, surprisingly powerful ending, Maggie finds that even a "Pirate" can act out of inner pain, and even a "Pirate" can feel remorse and want to make up for wrongs done. That expression of apology is where the beauty of this story is found.
Maggie's happy days paddling her raft around her home with her pet cricket, Niki, joining the expeditions in her cage, are interrupted one day when an unknown person, calling himself "Pirate", swipes Niki and her cage. Maggie and her other friends urgently search the neighborhood for her tiny friend, putting up signs intended for the "Pirate" to communicate that he's welcome to keep the cage if he returns Niki, but the kidnapper doesn't take the deal. When Maggie finally happens upon her cricket, she also learns that the "Pirate" is the new kid in town...but in the struggle to regain her friend, something bad happens that can't be undone.
In a memorable, surprisingly powerful ending, Maggie finds that even a "Pirate" can act out of inner pain, and even a "Pirate" can feel remorse and want to make up for wrongs done. That expression of apology is where the beauty of this story is found.
September 23, 2016
Beautiful illustrations. Bit of a strange story.
July 1, 2018
Maggie and the Pirate is a children's picture book written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats, which tells a story about a girl named Maggie and her pet cricket named Niki who was stolen by a pirate.
The text is rather simple and straightforward. It is beautifully written and has a childlike innocence to it and very emotionally poignant when Niki, the cricket, was accidentally killed. The illustrations are wonderfully depicted and are a hybrid combination of acrylic paints and collage, which depicts the text incredibly well.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Maggie's pet cricket Niki, in the cage her father built, is stolen by someone who's called the Pirate. Maggie and her friends hunt all over the place, and finally she finds the Pirate's hide-out. However, during the rescue, Niki is accidentally drowned. Maggie and her friends bury the cricket, and the Pirate, a new kid in the neighborhood, comes to apologize and bring back the cage, which has a new cricket inside. In the end, all four kids listen to the new cricket's singing.
All in all, Maggie and the Pirate is a wonderful children's book about how to deal with a death of a loved one, whether a cricket or a person – it's good to remember, to grieve, to sing remembrances songs, but to go on with life.
The text is rather simple and straightforward. It is beautifully written and has a childlike innocence to it and very emotionally poignant when Niki, the cricket, was accidentally killed. The illustrations are wonderfully depicted and are a hybrid combination of acrylic paints and collage, which depicts the text incredibly well.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Maggie's pet cricket Niki, in the cage her father built, is stolen by someone who's called the Pirate. Maggie and her friends hunt all over the place, and finally she finds the Pirate's hide-out. However, during the rescue, Niki is accidentally drowned. Maggie and her friends bury the cricket, and the Pirate, a new kid in the neighborhood, comes to apologize and bring back the cage, which has a new cricket inside. In the end, all four kids listen to the new cricket's singing.
All in all, Maggie and the Pirate is a wonderful children's book about how to deal with a death of a loved one, whether a cricket or a person – it's good to remember, to grieve, to sing remembrances songs, but to go on with life.
October 29, 2018
This one is just bizarre. First, Maggie and her parents live in a van on the side of the river - does this mean she's supposed to be homeless? Nomadic? This is never explained and a curious kid is going to wonder what the heck is going on. The ending is also just bizarre. I get that you want to teach acceptance and diversity - but there seemed to be no consequence to poor choices for the pirate and too simple and quick forgiveness on the part of Maggie for such a serious hurt.
If you're a fan of Keats artwork, you will enjoy that, but the rest of the book just left me feeling flat and confused. I won't be using this one in story time, nor will I be recommending it to my patrons.
If you're a fan of Keats artwork, you will enjoy that, but the rest of the book just left me feeling flat and confused. I won't be using this one in story time, nor will I be recommending it to my patrons.
July 7, 2021
I love Ezra Jack Keats's work for a number of reasons. The main reasons are that he's a brilliant artist/illustrator and the fact that he uses characters that are portrayed from diverse ethnic backgrounds (not just all white kids, which was popular in the 1960s). My favorite stories of his center around Peter and his family/friends, but I like these stand-alone titles that feature different kids. There was a lot of fun adventure in this one, as well as the sweet message of friendship and how things, especially people, don't always appear as they seem.
October 23, 2018
A little girl looses her pet cricket to a pirate and learns a lesson in understanding.
Ages: 4 - 8
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!
Visit my website!
Ages: 4 - 8
**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it!
Visit my website!
March 13, 2021
Children are resilient. This book shows that miraculous truth beautifully.
A cricket, a pirate, a treehouse, and some determined friends will give you a lot to think about once you read this book.
Recommended for 4 and up.
A cricket, a pirate, a treehouse, and some determined friends will give you a lot to think about once you read this book.
Recommended for 4 and up.
October 13, 2017
Great illustrations. People get what they need one way or another.
August 5, 2018
A nifty read, and less fluff than you'd expect from the pictures - which are lovely, as always.
Read
March 12, 2022uh
I almost liked this
I almost liked this
March 18, 2013
Ezra's books were recommended to me by a teacher of multicultural competence and I have tried to get my hands on all his books. I loved the illustrations(watercolors) and the idea of using this book to introduce how we can turn a negative into a positive. I did not like the ending though, because the new friend took the cricket and it dies. However, we all must learn we are only here temporarily. K-2
December 2, 2008
Maggie and her cricket, Nikki, are inseparable until one day when he is stolen. There was only a note left "Pirate was here."
Reading Practice
Interested Level: Lower Grades (LG K-3)
Fiction/Nonfiction: Fiction
Topic-Subtopic: Adventure-Misc./Other; Animals-Cricket; Relationships-Friendship
Reading Practice
Interested Level: Lower Grades (LG K-3)
Fiction/Nonfiction: Fiction
Topic-Subtopic: Adventure-Misc./Other; Animals-Cricket; Relationships-Friendship
September 2, 2012
The watercolor pictures are really beautiful in this book and I can see children really liking them. However the book does seem a bit sad to me and I'm not sure of the moral of the book or what it is getting at. It seems to have a lack of a point. However it is a pretty picture book for the kids.
February 18, 2013
This one was...interesting. I really liked the illustrations, and the idea of the story, but... I don't know. I feel like maybe I was wanting more of a concrete ending or something, and the cricket made me sad!
May 30, 2016
a childhood favorite of mine... i remember being scared by the illustrations.
June 9, 2009
Sweet story with amazing illustrations!
August 19, 2011
Got this through Scholastic Books at school when I was a kid, great book. I remember not knowing any of the words at the time, and now I review the book and I know most of them.
December 19, 2016
Read at elementary school story time celebrating Ezra Jack Keats on 9/18/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
Read
December 28, 2013AR Quiz No. 146123 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 2.3 - AR Pts: 0.5
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 2.3 - AR Pts: 0.5
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP
May 24, 2014
An simple sort of story about a girl, a cricket and a "pirate", set in an off-kilter tropical setting. The artists' highly individual, colorful illustrations fuel the imaginative and profound story.
Read
February 9, 2016This is a very strange book that I am not sure is appropriate for children. It has an interesting plot but there are some events that I do not think young readers should be exposed to.
February 18, 2016
Maggie and her parents lived in an old bus that hey turned into their home. Her pet cricket, Niki, was stolen from the tree next to her house by a pirate and the adventure begins.
May 9, 2016
My older son read this to his younger siblings. They told me they really didn't care for this book.. I read it to myself after and agreed this book is sort of strange.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews