Delightful Picture Book for Kids

(NOTE: I did not receive any remuneration for writing about this book. Nor did I get a free copy of it for review.)

I’m always on alert for great books for kids.

If they are picture books, I have two criteria. First, it must appeal to kids.

Second, it must appeal to me.

I have to be able to like the book so it won’t drive me crazy when I read it over and over and over again.

(Our youngest son absolutely loved Are You My Mother? I absolutely didn’t. . . To this day, I still absolutely don’t like that book — and I avoid reading it to grandkids. Aren’t I a horrible grandmother?)

I recently discovered a delightful picture book that met my criteria: Ten Little Pirates by Mike Brownlow.

Ten little pirates, Sailing out to sea, Looking for adventure, happy as can be.
Are they hunting treasure? Are they going far?
Ten little pirates all say, “Arrrrrrrrr!”

And boy, howdy! Do they get adventure. They encounter things like an albatross, lightening, a man-o-war, a giant squid . . .

. . . a hurricane . . .


. . . until only one is left on a desert island.

One little pirate, sad and all alone,
No ship, no food, no way home.

So, what’s the pirate to do?

Then. THEN! Slowly, one by one the pirates come back until they are all together on the island.

Drinking milk from coconuts,
Safe beneath a star,
Ten little pirates, all say, “Arrrrrrrrrr!”

Phew! I was worried there for a while. 🙂

I must say that books that count to ten can be rather tedious for grandparents. They don’t have a very gripping plot.

But, when the words, the rhymes, and the pictures all come together, magic happens. Both kids and grandparents fall in love with the book and are willing to snuggle and read the book over. And over. Lots of times over.

Ten Little Pirates is one such book where that magic happens. It’s a hoot for grandma to read and a hoot for grandkids to listen to.

I enjoy the illustrations, too. The pirates are not scary looking. While scary things happen to the pirates, those events are drawn in an adorable way — as adorable as lightning, giant squids, and hurricanes can be!

I highly recommend this picture book. It would be a great addition to your library. It would be a great book to give to a grandchild. Heck, it’s just an all around great book!

Oh, by the way. I noticed on Amazon.com that Mike Brownlow has a book Ten Little Princesses. If it is anything like his pirate book, it would be a great book to have, too. I’ve got to check it out!

You can get a paperback copy of the book for $10.