MommaReads

I would be remiss if I didn’t say this book is illustrated by Nadine Bernanrd Westcott and anything she does is usually a keeper and this book is no exception. This pirate tale presents itself as a collection of short poems. Some of the poem titles are: What Do Pirates Eat?, Do Pirates Take Baths? and What Do Pirates Wish For? This is a short and sweet read with adorable illustrations to accompany the pirates adventures.

My kids used to LOVE books like this! This book (and books like it) are great for teaching vocabulary and practicing counting. They are also great for trips!

Penguin has to knit himself a sweater because he thinks the South Pole is too cold. He is tired of being cold all the time and he is bored…he wants adventure and sunshine! Pirate is allergic to the sun, would rather find inner peace than treasure and just wants to relax. Penguin and Pirate end up switching places and find exactly what they have been looking for.

The life of a pirate’s child…you get to walk the plank whenever you want, you learn the letter X from looking at all those treasure maps, you get to use a telescope to look for land, you get to have belching contests and you always get a little sack of gold whenever the other pirates on board find treasure. The best thing about being a pirate’s child, however, is when your pirate papa puts you to bed each night.

Molly is out at sea trying to reach her grandma’s house when Captain Firebeard and his crew find her and bring her on board. They make her peel potatoes, clean boots, patch the sails and scrub the decks. They quickly learn, however, that you should never mess with a little girl named Molly, especially when her mom is Barbarous Bertha.

Captain Pugwash decides to take the day off and spend the day teaching his crew to sing which was the perfect opportunity for Cut-throat Jake to jump on board with his crew and ruin singing practice. Things don’t go well for the Pugwash crew until the clever cabin boy comes up with a creative solution that leaves Cut-throat Jake and his crew all tied up.

Jeremy Jacob gets invited to be a pirate on the high seas with Braid Beard and his crew when the pirates see his sand castle on the beach and realize what a good digger he is. They have treasure to bury and he is just the person they need to help them dig the hole. Jeremy loves the pirate life…the sea chanteys, the lack of vegetables on board and that pirates don’t have to brush their teeth. All is going well until it’s bedtime and Jeremy realizes that pirates don’t read bedtime stories (they don’t have any books at all actually) and they don’t tuck kids in at night either. Jeremy does figure out a way to help them though and also figures out a way to get home in time for his soccer game, too.

Digby could have just told his teacher that his dog ate his homework, but a giant raptor, crocodiles, an anaconda, a gorilla, a tiger, an elephant and a letter from the President make for a MUCH better story.
Your preschooler will enjoy Digby’s adventure (the illustrations alone will keep their attention) and the older ones will appreciate how Digby gets out of doing his homework.

We got this book from a dear friend when we were getting ready to make our big move. Alexander, as you may have guessed, does not want to move. He is sad about leaving his soccer team, his babysitter, his neighbors and their dog, his teacher, his friends and all of the special people around town. Things start to turn around, however, then their dad gets them a dog and his mom promises him he can call his friends long-distance…but if they decide to move again…he is NOT moving.

This cute rhyming romp follows an insect as he goes for a walk. Along the way he meets up with a cat, a crocodile, a bee, a pig, a toad and a mouse. They all end up at a house and meet up with a bear, a spider and a mouse. The tumbly bumbly rhyming cadence of this book will have your child asking for it again and again.