What If You Met a Pirate?

Adkins, J. (2004). What if you met a pirate? New Milford, Connecticut: Roaring Brook Press.

Summary

Kids love pirates, but the image they have of what a pirate is and does is often far from the truth. The "facts" people often know about pirates come not from research but from fictional characters in books, movies, and TV shows. In this book, Adkins presents common myths about pirates then dispels them by showing or telling the truth about pirates. For example, the first pages of the book show a diagram of a "typical" pirate that most readers identify with their idea of a pirate: fancy clothes and hat, eye patch, wooden peg leg, parrot on the shoulder, brandishing swords, etc. Adkins then dispels this stereotype by showing how someone dressed like this would be ineffective as a real pirate: "That pirate can't be very fast with a wooden leg. He can't see very well with one eye…if he did grab the pistols, the parrot and all those rings would get in the way. He'd probably shoot his other foot" (p. 2). The book continues to address many aspects of a pirate's life, like the ships they sailed, reasons for becoming a pirate, daily life on a pirate ship, buried treasure, and includes facts about pirates who really lived.

Worth a bookmark?

This book is great for any kid interested in pirates. The diagrams and pictures are great for illustrating the ideas explained in the text. The book is organized so that a reader has the option to read just certain topics he or she is interested in with full understanding, or can choose to read the book from cover to cover. Each two-page spread is dedicated to answering a common question kids might ask about pirates using their own background knowledge. An added bonus: this book is not only full of interesting facts, it's also really funny! On the back cover of the book are "reviews" of the book that are attributed to famous people who would have been involved with pirates, like Queen Elizabeth I and Captain William Kidd. This book is a great addition to a library for all ages.

In my library…

What If You Met a Pirate? is a great book for both research and pleasure reading. For mature readers, this book would be useful in a study comparing myths or stereotypes to reality and facts. In my library, I would use this book and others like it to entice reluctant readers to dive into a good book. Because the layout of the book allows a reader to read as in-depth as he or she chooses, it can be less intimidating and easier to read. Besides, what kid isn't interested in pirates and buried treasure?!

Reviews

Adkins rejects the conventional glamorous image of the pirate to construct a scruffier, though only slightly less romanticized, one in this sweeping history of privateers, buccaneers, freebooters, and similar nautical nogoodnicks. Though he may characterize them as "violent, wicked criminals," he downplays the more lurid tales of their bad behavior, focusing instead on generalities about their habits, hygiene ("Most pirates had bad teeth, and not very many of them"), and seamanship. He also introduces Sir Francis Drake, William Kidd, Henry Morgan, and other piratical luminaries-often so that he can go on about their bad ends. Scattering loosely drawn but practiced vignettes of men and ships around snippets of historical fact, Adkins offers nothing new beyond a distinctly personal tone, but the topic is hot just now, and there's enough about ships and sailing here to draw more than narrowly focused pirate fans. (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-10) (Kirkus Reviews)