This is a picture book for children that includes the "mythical" pirate and the "real" pirates of history. The illustrations and storyline blend well to illustrate what life was like for pirates at sea and why they became pirates in the first place. Bright illustrations includes maps and descriptions of each level of pirates.
Bibliography:
Adkins, Jan. "What If You Met a Pirate". Roaring Book Press: 2006.
My Impressions:
This was such a fun book to read and to share with one of my 5 yr old nephews. He loved the illustrations and history of pirates. I thought it was going to be a little to old for him, but after I read it to him once he wanted to read it again and studied the pictures. I learned quite a few things about pirates, too.
Reviews:
Kirkus 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
Suggested Use:
Great for grade school career day of jobs of the past.
Social studies/history class to learn about pirates in the past and today for comparison.
Book Cover:
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