#ReadItMD13 Theme Week - "Pirates Revisited"

Let's start with an absolute belter. Jonathan Emmett and Poly Bernatene's fantastic "Here Be Monsters" which has all the right elements of excitement, adventure, monsters and booty that we demand from a cracking piratical tale. Captain Cutthroat and his fearless crew (who are all brilliantly illustrated - along with the captain himself - by Poly Bernatene) set out in search of treasure but soon fall foul of some serious beasts out in the middle of uncharted ocean. All children will find a favourite character in this, and Jonathan Emmett's pacey writing keeps you on the edge of your seat right up until a brilliant twist of an end! Don't miss it!

We can't let any pirate theme go by without talking about this fabulous book. "Pirate Girl" by Cornelia Funke and Kerstin Meyer. It's all too rare to see pirate books with a female lead - particularly one as brilliant (and inspirational) as Pirate Girl. Rather than relying on her sword, she relies on her quick wits when Captain Firebeard, the infamous and rather inept pirate captain kidnaps her and puts her to work in the galley. Pirate Girl has a plan though - she slips notes over the side to call for rescue. It arrives - and how!

Charlotte loves the book so much that she even dressed as Pirate Girl (here holding yet another brilliant pirate book, "The Pirates Next Door"). 

Something for younger readers that's chock full of pirates, is entertaining and funny, and a great way of learning to count?

"Ten Little Pirates" by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty sees ten salty coves embarking on a brilliant quest with danger at every turn. Starting with ten, children count down as each pirate comes a cropper - sometimes in a rather unfortunate way. Don't worry though, pirates are hardy characters and they all reunite at the end of the book for a jolly pirate picnic!

We absolutely loved the rhyming text and the wonderfully inventive pirates, a favourite for everyone!

More you say? More? Time to plunge into the pool...

"Plunge into the Pirate Pool" by Caryl Hart and Ed Eaves is a brilliant addition to the "Albie" series by Caryl Hart and Ed Eaves. Joining Albie as he goes swimming and lets his imagination run riot with a pirate crew and the most fabulous shark-shaped submarine ever, we learn a little about addressing fears and uncertainty. It's also another all too rare book with a girl pirate character, we really wish more folk would let the girls have a go. 

We'd love to hear about your favourite pirate books. Drop a comment below or tweet us @ReadItDaddy with your suggestions!