The Word Pirates

I bought "The Word Pirates" on a whim several weeks ago as I was getting ready to board a train with my four-year-old son; we needed some entertainment for the hour-long trip. He loved it this book so much, he asked me to read it three times in a row! I thought his interest might have been because we only had one other book to read on the train, but no; ever since then, he's been asking me to read "The Word Pirates" roughly once a day. He has good taste, I think.It's a story of fearsome pirates (Captain Rottingbones and his crew) who sail the seas, letting loose their flock of rapacious Bumblebirds to snatch words right off of writers' pages and right out of storytellers' books. The pirates then devour the words, leaving holes in the stories. It takes a brave Word Wizard and her young friends to show the pirates that the pen is mightier than the sword, and that words are for reading, not eating.This picture book has the adventure and drama of a real pirate tale, while being much gentler for young readers - perfect for my four-year-old son, who likes the general idea of pirates but not the bloodthirsty details. It's also enticing for kids who are just learning to read (like my son) and who are making that magical connection between words on the page and ideas in your mind.This delightful book is crafted by two renowned names in children's literature. Susan Cooper wrote the "The Dark is Rising" novels that I read when I was a teen; I could hardly believe that the same Susan Cooper penned this rollicking tale, but she did! And I've always loved Steven Kellogg's whimsical illustrations. The dynamic poses, pure colors, and slightly scribbly lines make the pictures very relatable for young children.I plan to get this book as a holiday gift for some of the other preschoolers in my life. Highly recommended.

The pirates are hungry, and what they love to eat is words! So they let their flock of Bumblebirds loose and wait for them to bring back some tasty morsels. As the birds collect words for the pirates, books are left empty of their stories.But one day the Bumblebirds lift the words from the Word Wizard’s book. She won’t let them steal her stories, and she fights back with a magic pen. The pirates are no match for the powerful Wizard, and soon find themselves stranded on a island, planting vegetables to eat, and learning how to read.The Word Pirates is a fun story that kids will read over and over again. They’ll be giggling at the fate of the pirates as they learn how to appreciate words, rather than eat them.Reviewer: Alice Berger