Story Time with Sara: Pirates Ahoy! by Hilary McKay

 

Pirates Ahoy! 
written by Hilary McKay
published by Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1999

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository, Goodreads

Did I enjoy this book: I enjoyed this book, but I think I may have liked it more than my kid did. Peter and Simon are both believable small children. Since my son still loves playing with his stuffed bear, Parker Bear, he did identify with Simon (who’s favorite possession is his stuffed animal, Snowtop). Peter, the older cousin tries, to act like he is too cool to play with stuffed animals, but by the end of the story we learn the truth.

The thing I adore about this book is how the two boys play pretend together at their grandma’s house. Perhaps it reminded me of the pretend games my cousins and I played at our grandma’s house as children; it was wonderful. The sunflowers are lions and grandma’s wet laundry becomes ocean creatures. Of course, Snowtop makes an appearance in every make-believe scene the boys come up with (as you would expect). In a world so saturated with video games, televisions, and apps that do the “make believing” for you, it was nice to see a story that reminds us how much fun you can have with some gardening tools, old chairs, wet laundry, and your imagination!

The illustrations are perfect for the mood of the book. They aren’t too realistic–they require some make-believe to make them come to life–but the colors pop from the page and give the story a vibrant, fun feel.

My only gripe is that the boys don’t actually play pirates until much later in the book, and it isn’t a major plot line–the book is more about two cousins playing together and realizing that you are never too old to play pretend. I’m a little confused why its title is about pirates . . . anyhoo . . . When I am picking out books at the library, I’m looking at titles and covers (who has time to preview children’s books while simultaneously trying to keep two children from destroying the entire library and/or themselves?), and I was completely misled with this one.

My toddler didn’t love it as much as I did, which is why it only got 3 stars. He was initially afraid that it was going to be about scary pirates (he forgot to tell me he decided to be afraid of pirates the night before we went to the library).  Apparently, it’s more fun to play make-believe than to read about it, but I sure enjoyed the trip down memory lane!

Would I recommend it: Yes, I would. Pick it up! It’s a quick read, and it can give you some fun ideas for make-believe games to play with your children. If you are looking for a book about pirates though, this is not it. Despite the title, there is very little pirate content. So have fun with it, and remember that you are never too old to make believe or love stuffed animals (says the grown woman who still sleeps with a stuffed penguin . . .)!

About the book – from Goodreads: Simon wants to play with Snowtop, his stuffed bear. His older cousin Peter says stuffed animals are babyish. When he sees what fun Simon and Snowtop are having, though, Peter joins in. Before long the boys are wrestling lions in the jungle and surviving a terrible storm on a pirate ship.Like Where’s Bear?, a previous book about Simon and Snowtop, Pirates Ahoy! is full of award-winner Hilary McKay’s trademark imagination and humor.