The Buccaneering Book of Pirates - Written by Saviour Pirotta, Illustrated by Mark Robertson, Reviewed by Damian Harvey

Most young boys (and lots of girls too of course) love pirates... I know I certainly did. When I was at Primary School I would have loved to have had this book on my shelf.

This is more than just a book though - it's a real treasure chest of delights. On opening the sturdy hardback cover we are presented with two choices. On the left, a pirate chest with a warning - Beware: Buccaneer Aboard, and the storybook itself - The Buccaneering Book of Pirates.



I couldn't resist opening the chest first to see what lay inside... I wasn't disappointed - Contained within the is a fold out, pop-up poster of a pirate that stands over 4 foot high. Perfect for hanging on your bedroom door or classroom wall.

The pirate poster is nicely labelled, pointing out familiar pirate iconography such as 'an eyepatch, a compass, a gold medallion, a wooden leg' etc etc each one accompanied by a brief explanation of their importance to a pirate.

I'm not allowed to hang the poster on our bedroom door so I reluctantly refold him, pop him back into his chest, and turn to the storybook.

My reluctance is soon dispelled by the stories within. Saviour Pirotta is a master at retelling old stories, breathing new life into them and making them easily accessible to young readers.

The book contains retellings of 6 pirate stories - some which will be more familiar than others - Treasure Island, The Corsair Captain, The Captain's Secret, Davy Jones' Locker, The Pirate Queen, and A Royal Pardon (a tale of the fearsome Blackbeard).

With only 2 double pages per story, Saviour has done an excellent job - retelling the tales and bringing them to life with action and adventure. Not only are the stories a delight to read to yourself but they also read aloud well too - making them perfect to share with a class.

The Buccaneering Book or Pirates is published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books ISBN 978-1-84780-483-9

Damian Harvey
www.damainharvey.co.uk



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