Theme · Pirates
Pirate books for children: three picture books, and why dressing up matters
Pirates arrive with ships, treasure maps and a language of their own, and many children meet them in costume long before they meet them in a book. Below are three pirate picture books with publisher and age, and what a review of play research says about pretending to be someone else.
What is known about pirates and pretend play
First, the gap. We found no study of why children like pirates in particular. What exists is broader.
A review of the research on play, written by David Whitebread and colleagues at the University of Cambridge, describes pretend play as the most common type of play among young children. It reports that high-quality pretend play has repeatedly been linked to the development of cognitive, social and academic abilities, and that children in socio-dramatic play have to follow the rules of the character they are playing.1
A caution. That report was written for Toy Industries of Europe, the trade association of toy makers. It also describes the link as an association. It doesn't say that a pirate costume or a pirate book causes anything.
Three pirate picture books, checked
Three pirates, three kinds of story: a family who move in next door, a boy who runs away to sea and wants to go home, and a crew in search of a trophy. Ages are named with their source because the sources differ.
The Pirates Next Door
Jonny Duddle · Templar Publishing, 2011 · BookTrust: interest age 3+, reading age 6+
Matilda lives in a tidy seaside street and hopes a family will move into the empty house next door. The pirate Jolley-Rogers do, and the neighbours object to their untidy habits. Matilda is delighted and becomes friends with Jim, the pirates' son.
How I Became a Pirate
Melinda Long, illustrated by David Shannon · Harcourt, 2003 · Kirkus Reviews: age range 6 to 8
Jeremy joins a crew of pirates led by Braidbeard. When he learns that pirates skip bedtime routines and get no comfort during storms, he buries their treasure in his backyard and goes home.
Pirates Love Underpants
Claire Freedman, illustrated by Ben Cort · Aladdin, 2013 · Kirkus Reviews: age range 4 to 8
Underwear-wearing pirates search for a gold, underwear-shaped trophy and win it on an island. The silliest book on the list, in the Aladdin edition listed by Kirkus.
Three ways to be a pirate
In The Pirates Next Door the pirates are neighbours who are judged by their appearance, and the page describes the book as being about looking beyond appearances.2 In How I Became a Pirate a boy tries the life and finds the things he misses at home.3 In Pirates Love Underpants the crew are simply silly.4
What that means when you choose. If your child enjoys the dressing-up and the treasure but gets nervous about being away from home, How I Became a Pirate may be a good fit. If your child likes silly books, the underpants are the obvious choice. Treat the Kirkus ranges as a rough guide and let your child's reaction decide.
Or a story of their own
If your child should be the hero
- Your child finds a treasure map in the garden shed and sets sail with a crew of pirates to dig up the prize.
- A pirate ship ties up at the end of your street and the crew need your child's help to find their missing parrot.
- Your child is captain for the day, and has to decide where to sail, what to do about a storm and when it is time to go home for tea.
Frequently asked questions
- What age are pirate picture books for?
- The sources differ. The Pirates Next Door is interest age 3+ at BookTrust, Pirates Love Underpants 4 to 8 at Kirkus Reviews and How I Became a Pirate 6 to 8 at Kirkus Reviews.
- Is there research on why children like pirates?
- We found none. A research review describes pretend play as common and linked to cognitive, social and academic abilities, but it doesn't mention pirates.
- Are pirate books too rough for sensitive children?
- It depends on the book. In The Pirates Next Door the pirates are noisy neighbours who make friends, and in How I Became a Pirate the hero decides to go home. It is worth looking through any book first.
- Does the story have to be at sea?
- No. A pirate story can start in the bath, on a lake or in the garden. In your idea you decide where the adventure begins.
Sources
- 1.Whitebread, D., with Basilio, M., Kuvalja, M. and Verma, M. (2012): The importance of play. A report for Toy Industries of Europe.What it confirms: Pretence and socio-dramatic play is the most common type of play among young children; high-quality pretend play is closely associated with cognitive, social and academic abilities; children must follow the rules of the character they play. Commissioned by the toy industry's trade association.
- 2.BookTrust Bookfinder: The Pirates Next Door.What it confirms: Jonny Duddle, Templar Publishing, 2011; interest age 3+, reading age 6+; the plot and the theme of looking beyond appearances.
- 3.Kirkus Reviews: How I Became a Pirate.What it confirms: Melinda Long and David Shannon, Harcourt, 2003; age range 6 to 8; the plot.
- 4.Kirkus Reviews: Pirates Love Underpants.What it confirms: Claire Freedman and Ben Cort, Aladdin, 3 September 2013; age range 4 to 8; the plot.
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