Sea Shanties Pirate reads reveal hidden treasures

Arrrgh! What's a summer in North Carolina without a pirate or two? If you are heading to visit our state's shores where Blackbeard once infamously roamed or staying inland saving your doubloons, these books mark the spot for bountiful, sea-worthy reads.

CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? TREASURE SHIP: Picture Puzzles to Search and Solve. By Walter Wick. Scholastic. Ages 3 and up. $13.99.

Looking for an interactive book that young and old can explore together? Your search ends with this find-the-object book. Follow the clues and discover the treasure. The book presents delightful surprises as readers hunt for more than 200 hidden objects. We loved getting to the end and realizing that each page is a "zoomed-in" version of the next page. Part of a series, this colorful picture book joins similar ones by the same author. This is an ideal book to encourage reading with the reluctant, active reader and a fun way to turn reading into conversations.

CAPTAIN SMALL PIG. By Martin Waddell and Susan Varley. Peachtree. Ages 4-10. $15.95.

Old Goat, Turkey and Small Pig embark on a boat ride when they find a small red vessel. Turkey objects to the trip, claiming that turkeys don't ride in boats. Old Goat encourages Small Pig throughout their adventure, even when Small Pig tries to fish for whales in the lake and catches an old boot instead. Small Pig even takes a turn rowing the tiny boat and eventually falls asleep from exhaustion, learning the hard way that being a captain is a tiring task. The vibrant illustrations add to the enjoyment of this sweetly ironic plot.

THE PIRATE OF KINDERGARTEN. By George Ella Lyon. Simon & Shuster. Ages 4-8. $21.99.

Ginny has trouble -- double trouble, that is. She loves reading circle, but has difficulty making it inside the circle of chairs because she sees twice as many of them. Every time Ginny attempts to enter the reading circle, she bumps into one of the chairs. Classmates never fail to laugh at her double-vision blunders. The teacher thinks that Ginny's three-eared bunny cutout was misshapen because of creativity. But the truth comes out when the kindergarteners get their vision checked, and Ginny's double vision is diagnosed. Ginny is referred to an eye doctor, who gives her a patch to wear every day. The patch transforms Ginny into the only pirate in her class, and she loves it. "So Ginny became a Kindergarten Pirate who could do numbers and scissors, and who could climb the rigging of the playground fast ... and read and read and read." We love this one!

THE PIRATE CRUNCHER. By Jonny Duddle. Candlewick Press. Ages 6-12. $15.99.

Captain Purplebeard and his faithful pirate crew are anchored in a harbor when they hear a fiddler singing about an island of treasure. Eager to search for this treasure-filled spot, the pirates set off with the fiddler and his map. Soon after the group sets sail, the fiddling old pirate begins to chant rhymes about a terrible sea monster, known as a "pirate cruncher," that guards the island's treasure. Purplebeard's crew begins to have second thoughts about this dangerous voyage, but they continue onward to the legendary island.

With pirate-appropriate font, clever dialogue and rich, vivid illustrations, The Pirate Cruncher has an adorable way of teaching that greed has consequences.

FISH. By Gregory Mone. Scholastic. Ages 10 and up. 241 pages. $16.99.

Often, parents and teachers of gifted readers grow frustrated looking for age-appropriate reading material that stretches advanced ability. Fish meets every requirement for middle-elementary-age readers who want an entertaining, rollicking read that challenges as well captivates. Fish leaves his farm in Ireland to help earn money for his very large, very poor family in the city. Fish believes in performing every task to his utmost, so when a package he is delivering is stolen, he chases the thief and ends up on a pirate ship. Fish proves himself an able shipmate, again doing the best he can in unfortunate circumstances.

This book is full of humor, quick-witted dialogue, well-disguised lessons in initiative and hard work with clever pirating lore and grand treasure dreams. Girls and boys alike will enjoy this book, which has a cliff-hanger of an ending begging for a sequel.

Monica Young and Hannah McRae Young can be reached at cyoung9@triad.rr.com. View book reviews at the Journal in Education site at www.jie.journalnow.com