pirate picture books

Ahoy there, mateys!

Pardon for sayin’ so, but yer lookin’ a might peckish, mebbe a trifle peaked.

No worries, here be a tasty tater tale to tempt your tum-tum. Yarrr! We’re off to the high seas with Pirate Pearl and her perky parrot Petunia in pursuit of provisions. So twirl yer tricorns and climb aboard!

In the rib-tickling read-aloud, Potatoes for Pirate Pearl by Jennifer Concepcion and Chloe Burgett (Feeding Minds Press, 2023), a hungry pirate and her squawky sidekick learn how to plant, grow, and harvest potatoes, all while making a new friend.

Pearl and Petunia, who had been at sea for many months aboard the Jolly Oyster, were absolutely fed up with eating hardtack biscuits day after day. “I’ll make this codswallop walk the plank!,” Pearl said, just before she tossed their barrel of grub overboard.

Now what?

Luckily, with a “splish splash SQUAWK” they were soon able to make landfall to scope out some fresh grub. They “splashed through streams . . . hiked hills . . . and trooped through trees” when they spied a red barn and silo in the distance. “Thar she grows!”

Fading fast, Pearl and Petunia could barely drag themselves toward the farm. Just in the nick of time, a friendly landlubber named Farmer Fay came to the rescue. She carted them off to her kitchen to revive them with a steaming bowl of potato soup. Blimey, was it good!

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Ahoy There, Me Hearties!

‘Tis time t’ swash yer buckles, hoist the Jolly Roger and twirl yer tricornes. We’re sailin’ the high seas in pursuit of PIE!

Arrrrrrrrr yer ready? 🙂

As someone who’s devoted her life to “the quest for pie,” I can safely say that Pie-Rats! by Lisa Frenkel Riddiough and David Mottram (Viking, 2024) is prime booty. Served up with heaping helpings of gastronomic gusto, this upper crust yarrrrn about a motley crew of ravenous rodents will have dessert-loving landlubbers begging for more.

Pie-rats sail the
starry night, 
seeking treasures
baked just right.

Pie-rats don't want gold
doubloons -- their bounty comes
on forks and spoons.

Aye, rats after me own heart, they arrrrr. Could there be a nobler mission? Of course not. From the poop deck, hear them cry:

PIE, PIE, PIE, PIE!

So intense is their hunger for pie, they see different flavors in the clouds — “Pumpkin, apple, that one’s cherry./Plum, pecan, a slice of berry.”

What’s more, rain, gusting winds and choppy seas do not deter them in the least – what’s a “little squall” when it comes to PIE, PIE, PIE, PIE!? Oh, now it’s a typhoon? Bring it on, you lily-livered scurvy dog!

AVAST! TYPHOON!
Rock to and fro.
Pie-rats roll like
pastry dough.

Splashing, crashing,
skitter, scream!
Holding on for
Boston cream.

Drenched and dripping,
ears to flank.
Feeling like they walked
the plank.

From the ratlines, 
hear them cry:
     PIE, PIE, PIE, PIE.