Ahoy there! Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, so shiver me timbers, I’ve picked out six scurvy-dog books about pirates to enjoy with your kids. But first, a joke. What do you call a pirate with three eyes? A piiirate! I’m not sorry.
Six Children’s Books About Pirates
The Pirates Next Door by Jonny Duddle. When a pirate family, the Jolley-Rogers, move to a quiet seaside town, the whole neighbourhood starts gossiping about them and spreading rumours. Matilda who lives next door to the Jolley-Rogers becomes friends with the youngest pirate son. When the Jolley-Rogers leave, the town discovers they were wrong to assume the worst of this pirate crew.
Pirates Love Underpants by Claire Freedman. If you enjoyed Monsters Love Underpants and Dinosaurs Love Underpants, then you’ll love Pirates Love Underpants. It follows the same colourful, rhyming style and every page has something to giggle about. This is a brilliant, funny picture book for pre-schoolers!
Pirate Pete’s Talk Like a Pirate by Kim Kennedy. This is the sequel to the popular Pirate Pete book. This time Pete is in search of a crew for his new ship. He needs people who behave like a pirate but also talk like a pirate. Pirate Pete interviews several candidates, but can they talk like a proper pirate? This is the perfect book for International Talk Like a Pirate Day!
Winnie’s Pirate Adventure by Valerie Thomas. This piratey installment of the Winnie the Witch books tells a great pirate tale. Winnie and her black cat, Wilbur are off to a fancy-dress party. Winnie is going as a pirate and Wilbur is her parrot. At the party they find a whole crew of little pirates ready to set sail on the high seas, so off they go on a swashbuckling adventure! Ahoy there!
Jack and the FlumFlum Tree by Julia Donaldson. This is a lovely book to read aloud with your child. Jack’s Granny is sick with a bad case of the moozles! AThe only cure is the fruit of the fantastic flumflum tree which grows on the faraway Isle of Blowyernose. It’s a treacherous journey, but Jack sets sail, with his motley crew of three and a large patchwork sack that Granny has filled with things to help them along the way. Will they succeed in their mission?
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stephenson. The original and best book about pirates – Treasure Island! With peg-legged pirates, colorful parrots, and plundered riches this seafaring adventure is bound to thrill any pirate fan! When young Jim Hawkins decides to follow a map to buried treasure, he must befriend or outsmart memorable characters such as pirate Long John Silver, captain Billy Bones, and island man Ben Gunn. Mutinous plans, mysterious deaths, and a tangle of double crosses keep Jim guessing all the way to the prize.
If you enjoyed this, you might also like our five books about dinosaurs or five books about bears.
I’m a big fan of pirates (especially Ninja pirates obviously), and I love this selection. Jonny Duddle is brilliant, and we know someone who went to school with him and is still good friends 😀