Perhaps it varies from reader to reader, but pirates and pirate-inspired adventures do seem to remain popular among children’s book fans. I assume it is the heady freedom and the playfulness that naturally seems to accompany the topic. Or maybe it’s just the clothes and the gear, who knows, but pirates do seem to be a time-tested topic for kids to read about. So then, which titles could you and your little pirates-in-training enjoy most? If you’re a Neil Gaiman fan, you may already know about his Pirate Stew. And as I was searching for other titles, I came across a busy book for toddlers called Narwhals and Pirates, that I just basically wanted for myself, and also a fun looking graphic novel called Pirate Penguin vs Ninja Chicken by Ray Friesen, which I feel I would really enjoy (dropping subtle hints for any gift-givers in my life). However, there are a lot of other titles out there if you’re particularly interested in picture books to explore. Below are some of what I have stumbled across recently and I hope you find some of these as charming as I have. That is my list for now, mateys. I can’t believe I’ve made it this far without adding in some fake Pirate speak. That is obviously a missed opportunity I should rectify the next time I’m writing about pirate books. Anyway, I’ll have to look for more pirate adventures to share as this has been such a pleasant topic to revisit just for my own enjoyment. This is the story of Molly, a little girl whose boat is captured by Captain Firebeard and his crew. At first forced to peel potatoes and clean up after everyone, Molly gets her revenge after her mother follows Molly’s secretly communicated messages and confronts her captors. If you like this, Funke has also written The Pirate Pig chapter book. To add to that, I also have had Funke’s Inkheart on my TBR for ages, but as far as I know, there are no pirates in that one. I just mention it since it looks good too! In the meantime, if you’re looking for titles for older readers, check out these YA books for pirates for yourself or others. If you like those, also check out this quiz to figure out your next YA pirate book.
