LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

Kathleen Richardson Shelnutt
LS 5903, Multicultural Literature
Dr. Sylvia M. Vardell
Summer 2007


Review of TOUGH BORIS

A. Fox, Mem. 1994. TOUGH BORIS. New York: Harcourt Brace. Kathryn Brown, Illustrator. ISBN 0374315205

B. PLOT SUMMARY
This book by the much celebrated Australian author of children’s books is a delight to read and to look at. The name of the book comes from the pirate and Captain of the ship, Boris von der Borch. Boris is the quintessential pirate, reminiscent of Treasure Island’s Long John Silver or Peter Pan’s Captain Hook. A young boy falls under Boris’ tutelage as they experience life on shore, live in the ocean, life on deck, life in the bowels of the ship, life in a dinghy, etc. The boy watches Boris and comments on his temperament, “Boris is greedy. All pirates are greedy.” and scruffy, scary, fearless, etc. follow. This continues in a rote sing-song fashion that would appeal to young children from Pre-School through 2nd grade. When Boris’ beloved parrot dies he becomes all too human. He cries and cries. The two sentences are what the book hangs on, “All pirates cry. And so do I.”

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Ms. Fox, one of the most famous children’s authors in Australian history writes many books about Australian animals and customs using the authentic vernacular of her time and place. This international book is an exception to most of her other work. Illustrator Kathryn Brown is from America rather than Australia. The theme of the story, illustrations, language patterns, setting, makes for a very nice tale that just happens to be categorized as International literature because of the birthplace of the author, Mem Fox. The pirate’s name of Boris von der Borch is explained on the dedication page. It is the last name of one of Fox’s friends so has nothing to do with place or culture in the story.

The book was cataloged by the Library of Congress and given an LC number in 1992. Tough Boris was first published in the U.S. in 1994. The book is a very well told yarn and the illustrations are bright, vivid, and enthralling. The fact that the boy is seen in each two page spread along with the pirate is indicative that there is no ageism bias in the book. It passes the test for very good International or any type of literature because there is a high quality in the wording, pictures and themes. There is also balance in the story and in the characters which Dr.Vardell reminds us is a positive and necessary quality for all literature of exceptional quality, no matter the type. The humanization of Boris in the end is a very important part of the story. Boris, the pirate, doesn’t just cry, he “cries and cries.” Knowing that the tough old brute of a pirate can deftly foster a young boy and teach him that it is ok to cry would erase all the stereotyping that was used until the very last two pages of the book.

D. REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal praises the title with these words: “Tough Boris is a treasure. This easy-to-read picture book features a repetitive, engaging text; a very popular subject; and an interesting subplot played out in the colorful illustrations.”

Publisher’s Weekly comments:
“Boris the pirate is as mean, greedy and scary as they come. But when his parrot dies, he mourns like anyone else.”

E. CONNECTIONS
Pirates are currently incredibly popular. They are perennially favorites even if there are not large numbers of pirate picture books. The success of three Disney movies about “The Pirates of the Caribbean” has only made the topic hotter.

Other books about pirates for young readers.
Kennedy, Kim. Pirate Pete. 0810943568, 9780810943568
Tucker, Kathy. Do Pirates take Baths? 080751697X, 9780807516973

Of course other books by Mem Fox should be investigated. Her book, Koala Lou, I do love you, has an adult (though in animal form) that treats young ones with respect and dignity just as Boris does in Tough Boris.

Reviewed by Kathleen Richardson Shelnutt, a graduate student in the MLS program at Texas Woman’s University. Professor is Dr. Sylvia Vardell.