Rating:
Little Pirate and His Pirate Hat
by Rebecca Ann MacKay
www.littlepiratebooks.com

“Little Pirate and His Pirate Hat” is a cute tale in which Little Pirate explains and demonstrates all the many uses for his pirate hat (perhaps the most indispensible tool in the pirating trade.) From gathering scurvy-preventing fruit to protecting from sunburn, from bailing water to hiding treasure maps, there is little that a pirate can’t do if he or she is armed with a proper hat.

The writing in “Little Pirate” is simple and easy to follow. It contains a few piratey words here and there, but it’s high time your kids learned what “lubber” and “booty” mean anyway – a handy glossary is included in the back just for this purpose. The illustrations are cute and colorful, and each page features Little Pirate (and in most cases, his parrot) smiling ear to ear as he demonstrates why his hat is so wonderful. It also bears mention that the artwork is done almost entirely in crayon, which might spur young barnacles to break out their own Crayolas and sketch out some pirate adventures of their own.

Now for the million-dollar question. “Little Pirate and His Pirate Hat” is written by Rebecca Ann MacKay, wife to the owner of the much loved “Captain Jack’s Pirate Hats.” So being as this book, written by the wife of a pirate hatcrafter, is a beginning-to-end journey about the benefits of a good pirate hat, it really begs the question as to whether this book is merely a clever (but shameless) plug for her husband’s business. Gladly, I don’t think that’s the case at all. While the virtues of pirate hats are prominently touted throughout, nowhere does it say “go out and buy one.” Rather, the tone of this book is more about the versatility of everyday objects – parents could just as easily use this to kick off a discussion about creative uses for blankets or shoelaces. The significance of pirate hats to the MacKays does strike a humorous tongue-in-cheek tone for those of us already familiar with Capt. Jacks. But the uninitiated will hardly be the wiser.

A very fun pirate book for the buccaneer toddler in your life. One that promotes creative problem solving, crayon-drawing, and a love of pirate hats. Who could ask for more?