Tough Boris

This book is simple enough for two-year-olds, but complex enough for much older children, or even adults.

The trick is that the words (only a sentence or so per page, and mostly of the format "Boris was ADJECTIVE. All pirates are ADJECTIVE") only barely sketch out the story - the rest is in the illustrations, or else has to be guessed at.

At the end of the book, we find that when Boris' parrot died "He cried and cried. All pirates cry. And so do I", a line that echoes in the mind.

And that's it. We don't dwell on the subject - it just ends, much like things happen in real life.

Don't pass this one by.

Tough Boris explores the life of a pirate whose emotions seem tough until the very end when he cries over his parrot. This book is great for teaching because it lets the reader know that it is okay to have a variety of emotions, no matter how tough he/she wants to be seen! This book is suitable for the younger elementary grades.

In my opinion, this is a great book. One of the reasons I liked this book is because of the main character, Boris. Boris is a pirate who is tough, scary, massive, and greedy, just like all pirates. “He was massive. All pirates are massive.” Boris has every characteristic of a tough guy, until his parrot dies. Boris was devastated when his parrot died. “But when his parrot died, he cried and cried.” Boris expressing such sadness over the loss of his beloved parrot, makes his character more believable. I think children, especially boys, can relate to Boris and realize it is okay to cry. “All pirates cry. And so do I.” I also really enjoyed the illustrations in this book. The illustrations take up the entire page, and they are show more beautifully done. The illustrations do a great job of enhancing the story. For example, the illustrations show pirates with mean looks on their faces, and knives in their hands when the book says, “All pirates are scary.” The big idea of this book is showing emotions doesn’t make you any less tough. It is okay to be upset, and it is okay to cry. show less

I loved Tough Boris. This book has a good message for kids; just because you are a boy and think you should be tough doesn't mean you can't cry and show feelings. Another reason I liked this book was because of the characters. It shows a little boy watching Tough Boris and how he is suppose to be this evil pirate, but when his pet parrot dies and he cries, the boy is able to see that not everyone has to be tough all the time. And finally, the illustrations were amazing. Tough Boris looks creepy, scary and tough just like his name. You can see the fear when looking at him so when he starts the cry, you can see it in his face and see a change to this mean pirate that I think the readers can appreciate and have empathy for him.

This book shows all about the pirate life of Boris and how tough he really is in his daily life through words, but is contradicted with the pictures shown. In the end, Boris' parrot dies, and his sensitive side is shown through him crying for his friend. This book is great for teaching vocabulary, and has a lot of emotions for kids. I would use this book for all ages because it can relate to all ages.

This book starts to talk about the stereotypes of pirates. It takes a twist towards the end by introducing some emotions that one might not normally see in a stereotypical pirate. This links pirates to normal people. This story would be suitable for children 4 and older.

Boris is tough, scruffy and scary, like all pirates. But he shows a gentle side when finds a stowaway boy and later when his parrot dies. What makes this book interesting is that the text just talks about Boris in generalities. The pictures reflect the text, but they also tell a story that is almost independent of the text.

My almost-four-year-old seemed to enjoy it. I had give her hints before she realized there was a story in the pictures.