Alice Pawley is an assistant professor of 
SciWo is an assistant professor of geosciences. She blogs about the intersection of science and real life - primarily based on her first-hand experiences. Her older posts can be found Last Saturday was International Talk Like a Pirate Day and Minnow and I got into the spirit of the day by reading the only toddler-appropriate pirate book I know: My Pop-Pop is a Pirate by Pat Croce.
(Even if you don't watch the whole video, check out 1:15 to 2:00 minutes for adorable Minnow talking like a pirate.)
Our local science museum was hosting special pirate day activities, so Minnow and I spent the afternoon at the museum, learning about pirates and shipwrecks and undersea exploration. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the pirates, because I made the mistake of going with the historically accurate "some pirates were mean" truth to tell Minnow just before we entered the museum and any time there was a pirate near-by she clung to me desperately. It didn't help that when we entered the room where the pirates were, they were demonstrating vaporing, by knocking their swords against the boat walls and yelling. But by evening, when the video was recorded, she was back in swashbuckling spirits and full of enthusiasm for arrr....
We don't have any other pirate books around the house, but if you liked "My Pop-Pop is a Pirate," Minnow and I think you will like these other books of life by the sea:
- Salty Dog by Gloria Rand, about a boat-builder's puppy
- One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey, about two girls on the Maine coast and their adventures in a row boat and with a loose tooth.
We haven't read "How I Became a Pirate" by Melinda Long, but it looks like a fun read for preschoolers. Maybe next year...
Previous installments of SciWo's storytime include Move Over Rover and A Mother for Choco.
Off ye go, now maties!
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Comments
I enjoy your storytime with Minnow - I've sent the link to two friends with toddlers who love to read. Another pirate book I highly recommend is David Shannon's "How I Became a Pirate" - I got it for my nephew during his pirate phase. It definitely shows the softer side of the pirates. [David Shannon is best known for his cute "No No David" series. However, I absolutely adore his book, "Alice the Fairy", about a 4-yr old with a very active imagination, which he wrote with his daughter in mind.]
Posted by: Jen | September 25, 2009 9:50 AM
I apologize - I didn't read far enough to see your mention of "How I Became a Pirate". Still a great read, though.
Posted by: Jen | September 25, 2009 9:55 AM
Shiver me timbers, Minnow is adorable! That looks like a great book.
Posted by: Kate | September 25, 2009 1:04 PM