P is for Pirate: A Pirate Alphabet
The word pirate means one who plunders on the sea, and piracy has been around for as long as men and women have longed for adventure and lusted for riches. But it wasn't all fun and pillaging! Being a pirate was not an easy life. Written by award-winning author Eve Bunting, poetry and expository text are used in this alphabetical examination of the history of piracy. Topics include legendary ships, fabled hideouts, and notorious villains like Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard. Includes the pirate code of conduct as well as the different occupations aboard ship.
| Interest Level | Grade 2 - Grade 5 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 4 |
| Copyright | 2014 |
| BISACS | JNF013010, JNF002000, JNF025000, JNF057020, JNF007000, JUV001020 |
| Genre | Nonfiction, Picture Books |
| Publisher | Cherry Lake Publishing |
| Language | English |
| Number of Pages | 40 |
| Lexile | 900 |
| ISBN | 9781585368150 |
|---|---|
| Title Format | Hardcover |
| Release Date | 2014-08-01 |
| Author | Eve Bunting |
| Illustrator | John Manders |
| Features | Author/Illustrator biography, Informative sidebars |
| Dewey | 910.4/5 |
| Graphics | Full-color illustrations |
| Dimensions | 11 x 10 |
| Guided Reading Level | S |
Reviewed on 1 August 2014
School Library Jounral - P is for Pirate
After reading this book, you’ll be prepared for the annual “Talk Like a Pirate Day” (September 19th). However, you won’t just know a few phrases to utter; you’ll instead be able to talk about pirates. Like the other alphabet books in this series, this one has a brief, fairly unenlightening, sometimes awkwardly phrased couplet for each letter of the alphabet; it’s the information for each letter that’s fascinating and informative. Bunting provides some background on specific pirates, such as Charles Vane (“V”), Captain Kidd (“K”), and the queen of pirates Grace O’Malley (“Q”). Readers also learn that pirates rarely used an X to mark the spot, since they rapidly and freely spent nearly everything they ever plundered, and that countries issued “letters of marque” to pirates, which enabled them to attack and plunder ships without punishment. Young pirate fanatics will appreciate the interesting information provided but will also find the illustrations riveting. Manders captures all the grit and ferocity of ill-kempt, surly ne’er-do-wells while also offering many visual details of ships, chests of gold, and weaponry. One particularly humorous page tells viewers that “M is for Movie Pirates,” showing all the famous actors who have played pirates seated in a theater looking at readers (today’s children will recognize Johnny Depp right away).
Author: Eve Bunting
Eve Bunting was born in a little town in Ireland called Maghera and she was brought up in the tradition of storytelling. Her mother started a library in their house and there were always books available to read. Most were poetry, which Eve loved. She also loved ghost stories and adventure stories; actually stories of all kinds. So she grew up, got married, had three children, and became a storyteller herself.
Now Eve lives in California and writes books that tell stories. She has written a lot of books, more than 250, and hopes to write many more. Because storytelling is what she does. And what she loves to do.
Illustrator: John Manders
John Manders studied at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, the School of Visual Arts, and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. His work has been featured in more than 60 children’s books and numerous children’s magazines, and in 2011 he wrote and illustrated The Really Awful Musicians. John’s work has been exhibited at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh gallery and the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, and he was honored in the 25-year retrospective of Cricket magazine covers. In 2006 he was named Outstanding Illustrator/Author by the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association. John lives with his wife and dog in Franklin, Pennsylvania.