As a mom (and teacher), I strive everyday to engage, nurture, and expand the mind of my little one.
Here you will find the books, music, and activities most useful to me in my endeavors.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Shiver Me Letters, A Pirate ABC

Author: June Sobel
Illustrator: Henry Cole

Who can resist a good pirate story? If you're talented enough (like my husband) to read it in a pirate accent, all the better! And I am a complete sucker of a clever ABC book, so pretty much this book "had me at hello" if you know what I'm saying!

The story is about a captain and his crew searching for booty (hee, hee), in this case the letters of the alphabet other than R ... you see, the captain already has "R" 'cause that's what a pirate says, "aaaargh" ... get it? Here's an excerpt from the first pages: "R," roared the captain. "R's not enough. We need other letters to help make us tough."

Each letter is found in some pirate-themed way, and the illustrations are humorous and colorful. This book goes way beyond A is for Apple, and the letters become part of the story rather than being the story. The characters are funny in the way that only a pirate's mates can be. I love the fact that the scenery hides the letters, which makes this book great for the 2 and up crowd ... we spend time on each page finding the letters.

There isn't any deep message in this book - if that's what you're looking for, I am guessing that you don't do much of your reading to a toddler. And, hey, if I am going to read a book like a bazillion times, which mommies often do, I might as well read a book that is this much fun and so very clever!

1 comment:

Chi-town momma said...

I remember you posting about this book before. I guess I need to check it out! Something tells me it would be a good laugh to hear Brandon read it!