Night Pirates [Hardcover]

Peter Harris (Author), Deborah Allwright (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

A perfectly pitched, irresistibly charming read-aloud picture book for the youngest pirate enthusiasts!

"Down, down, down the dark, dark street they came. Up, up, up the dark, dark house they climbed. Stealthy as shadows, quiet as mice. Only the moon was watching when they arrived. Only the moon was watching when they left. Only the moon & one little boy."

Tom is awoken by a band of rough, tough little girl pirates, so what does he do? He joins their ranks! Together they set sail in search of treasure. But what will happen when they meet a crew of rough, tough grown-up pirates? Readers will be swept up in the spare, jaunty text, & quirky illustrations in this unexpected bedtime adventure.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–A group of rough, tough girl pirates sneaks over to Toms house to steal the front of his house to disguise their ship. When Tom hears them, he asks to join them, and they agree. Then its off to steal a treasure that belongs to adult pirates, and they are so befuddled by the ships house front that they give it up easily. This leads to victory and a good nights sleep for Tom. Harriss soothing text has a storytellers rhythm built in. The rhyming couplets are interspersed with questions that lead to the next section of the tale, clarifying and expanding it. The text is written in a rolling font that adds to the movement of the pirate ship. Allwrights illustrations are moody and midnight-colored with some collages added in. Their texture, made of maps and graph paper among other items, adds to the mystery of the adventures. The storys touch of the ridiculous will appeal to young listeners, especially surrounding the adult pirates. This tale would be terrific at a pajama storytime, and its pirate theme will satisfy many young girls and boys.–Susan E. Murray, Glendale Public Library, AZ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-K. In a rhyming story, a little boy named Tom lies in his bed as shadows form in the moonlight outside his window. He doesn't know what to make of them and fears the worst until he discovers that he's being recruited by girl pirates. Tom joins the crew and off they sail in their house/ship to an island, scaring off a band of grown-up pirates before making a quick voyage home. The simple, rhythmic story is enhanced by Allwright's exuberant illustrations. Working in a combination of paint and collage, she sets her cartoonish characters jauntily against the striking blue backgrounds of a night sky. Children will delight in her use of unusual angles and the sheer energy of each double-page spread. Young fashionistas, for instance, will be amused by the extravagant hat worn by the captain of the girl pirates. A sure bet for bedtime, but suggest this for daytime sharing, too. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439799597
• ISBN-13: 978-0439799591
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 11.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #697,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book ...., February 28, 2006

By 

anon (Chatham, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Pirates (Hardcover)

We picked this book up in the UK recently (different publisher) - it's the new favorite book in our house. My 4 yr old has memorized all the words - can't go to sleep without reading it. Even my 7 yr old will come in when he hears us reading this book. Great for boys and girls (the pirates ARE girls after all). Beautiful illustrations, lovely rhyming, can't say enough good things!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must for PIRATE picture book lovers!, May 30, 2006

By 

mamareadssomuch "mamareadssomuch" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Pirates (Hardcover)

Lovely illustrations take the reader into pirateland; the slowing moving text across the pages makes sleepytime come for certain. We crave anything about pirates and this is a fun bedtime story to add to our list.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yeah, Girl Pirates!, July 25, 2006

By 

DMomBlog (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Pirates (Hardcover)

We love this book! We are parents who love anything pirate. We were so happy to find a book for our 2-year-old daughter about rowdy girl pirates. Often pirate books are about boys. Its fun that a boy gets to come along on the adventure, but its the girls who are the main protagonists. The illustrations are great too.