By Claire Freedman
A crew of pirates sails the seas hunting for the greatest treasure of all: the legendary Pants of Gold.
This is the pirate spin-off of the runaway Underpants books, and it does exactly what a three-year-old wants it to. A pirate captain and his rowdy crew hoist the anchor and set off after a treasure map, but the loot they're chasing isn't gold coins, it's the fabled Pants of Gold. They battle a rival crew, dig up the chest, and discover their prize is a great heap of underpants. It's all bouncy rhyme, bright cartoon pirates, and the one word small children find funniest in the entire language, over and over.
This is the one for the very littlest pirate fan, the one who isn't ready for plot or peril and just wants pirates, giggles, and the word underpants. The rhyme carries a pre-reader along, the pictures are big and bright, and the treasure-hunt shape gives it just enough story to feel like a real pirate adventure without a scary moment in it. It's the softest, youngest-skewing book on the shelf, and it's a reliable way to get a wound-up toddler laughing.