Peggony-Po: A Whale of a Tale

"K-Gr. 2. In this original tall tale, Galleon, an African American sailor with a peg leg, takes a piece of driftwood and carves the figure of a boy, which comes to life. Galleon calls him Peggony-Po and takes him as a son. After learning that Cetus the whale ate Galleon's leg, Peggony-Po leaps into the sea to pursue the enormous creature. Their battle of strength, wits, and determination goes on for days before Peggony-Po finally defeats the whale.

"The boy is a feisty, likable hero, and apart from the hard-to-sing sea chantey (no tune is provided), his fast-paced story makes a good read-aloud. Full of action and almost musical, thanks to swirling lines and repeated forms, the artwork conveys a sense of both the whale's menacing size and the boy's indomitable spirit. The final page offers a short introduction to black whalers in American history, a brief glossary, and one further-reading recommendation, which is more suitable for older readers." -- Booklist