Who doesn’t love a good pirate story? Four to eight year-olds will delight in the story of Nell aboard a pirate ship. She’s a sweet, determined character whose light is not dimmed by the nay-sayers in her life. It is my distinct pleasure to review this delightful picture book Pirate Nell’s Tale to Tell for Raincoast Books.
What I am Reviewing
Pirate Nell’s Tale to Tell is written by Helen Docherty and beautifully illustrated by Thomas Docherty. The words and images work well in tandem. 40 pages of storybook adventure await the 4 to 8-year-old reader. Published by sourcebooks jabberwocky, you’ll find this hardcover book a delight to read.
From the cover:
Nell is finally a pirate!
And she has her trusty Pirate’s Almanac to help her sail the seas, even if Captain Gnash doesn’t like books on his ship. But when the journey gets rough and the captain is in trouble, it’s Nell and all her pirate knowledge that saves the day and leads them to the greatest buried treasure of all. . .
The Details for Pirate Nell
Helen Docherty who also wrote The Snatchabook has written a delightful book of rhymes. It is so easy to read, the words will just roll off your tongue. As I reading quietly to myself, I couldn’t help myself and started reading aloud startling my hubby. 🙂 It’s good to do those things you know?
Nell’s love of books is evident throughout, even if her captain disagreed. He couldn’t see the importance of books, how could they help you be a good pirate afterall?
You’ll find loads of colour filling the pages, finding Nell hard at work whether it be scrubbing the decks or saving the Captain. The Captain seems the not so nice sort, but by the end of the book, Nell has won him over.
It’s a good read for both adult and child, the font big enough to read with a group of children, and illustrations varied enough to provide lots of talking points with them as well. I received the ARC version, but the hardcover style it will come with will provide great durability. Snatch it up, and enjoy with your pirate study today! 🙂
Should You Get It?
Aw, this is such a cute book that fosters a love of reading. Books helps us in so many ways
YES, go get Pirate Nell’s Tale to Tell! Read it with your children. Delight in the antics of the pirates, frown at the short-sightedness of the captain, and sit back in wonder at lessons learned. It’s a great romp through the world of books and learning.
You don’t have to just use for 4-8 year olds though… it would be a great addition to a “fun with books unit”, or a Pirate study, or even a history of oceanic travel book… to talk about the work you need to do abroad ship. Even a unit on how being kind and willing to share knowledge is a great thing to do. It’s simply a lovely book.. read it with your children! I think I’ll have my son read it as part of his speech studies!
Other pirate based posts
This sounds like a great book for kids who love pirates! My stepson would have loved this book when he was little.
it’s a fun book, your youngest might like it as well. 🙂
The books look a whole lot like a series we loved when I was a child, especially my brothers, and my girls enjoyed, too. Looks like a good series.
Oh, i wonder what series that was? this was a fun read. 🙂