Pirates and Privateers

An ABC of Pirates
By Caroline Stills
Illustrated by Heath McKenzie
Little Hare, 2010, ISBN 978-1-921272-77-6, AUS $24.99 / NZ $26.99 / US $15.99

Set sail with buccaneers on an adventure that goes from A to Z, exploring pirate words like booty, doubloons, and mutiny. But this is no ordinary alphabet book. The catchy rhymes invite readers and listeners to participate, while learning piratical jargon. The pictures themselves, however, are the prize. The whimsical illustrations show far more than just pirate words. They abound with other objects that begin with the same letter, yet have nothing to do with the sea. What fun to locate the astronaut, dragon, panda bear, and volcano!
            
Nautical words appear in boldface type so they are easy to recognize. Colorful drawings captivate the imagination and bring smiles to young faces. At the end of the book are an alphabetical list of all the hidden objects and a glossary to define more challenging words.
            
An ABC of Pirates is one of the best alphabet books I’ve read. It’s great fun and a fabulous treasure to cherish!