Commander Toad and the Space Pirates

Grade 13 Yolen's writing in this book is rhythmic but confusing. Commander Toad is captain of Star Warts and Mr. Hop, a frog, is his co-pilot. They are on a long trip, ``a boring trip . . . They have played leapfrog and hopscotch and croak-kay.'' The puns are abun dant but seem to be included only for effect. In many cases they are awkward and will not make sense to a beginning- to-read audience. Pirates, led by Com mander Salamander, board the Star Warts. They make the crew play a dan gerous game, ``Hop the Plank.'' By the time children wade through the confus ing text, they won't care whether the crew escapes. Most of Degen's illustra tions are black-and-white drawings, while a few are rendered in three col ors. All seem harsh and uninviting. The characters as illustrated seem very neu tral.