cover image Pirates Activity Book

Pirates Activity Book

Melinda Long, illus. by David Shannon, HMH Books, $6.99 paper (36p) ISBN 978-0-547-31490-7

This activity book spinoff of Long and Shannon's series (How I Became a Pirate; Pirates Don't Change Diapers) offers step-by-step guidelines for how to be a bona fide buccaneer. Readers can participate by constructing a folded newspaper pirate hat and a cardboard eye patch, while picking up the finer points of pirate manners, such as warning "yer mates" before you sneeze ("Duck and cover, ye filthy scoundrels! I'm gonna blow!"). A game of Cannonball, using colorful punch-out cards, invites more involvement, and there are plenty of opportunities for drawing, crafting, and learning swashbuckler vocabulary. Ages 5–8. (Aug.)