The Pirate’s Parrot

Written by: Lyn Rossiter McFarland

Illustrated By: Jim McFarland

Tricycle Press, 2000, Hardcover

Target Audience: Ages 3-8

Genre: Fiction

Theme: Bravery, Strength

How We Discovered This Book: This book has been on my “To Read” list for a while. I believe Joanna recommended it to me. We borrowed it from our library.

Summary:

Captain Cur’s parrot dies, and his monocle is stepped on. How can he be a proper pirate captain without them? His crew finds him a replacement parrot, who is really a stuffed girl teddy bear. The crew teaches her to be a proper pirate, who bites, spits, swashbuckles,  and perches on the captain’s shoulder. But she proves she’s really a proper pirate when they encounter another pirate ship and she saves the day.

What I Liked:

This book is funny, and is immensely fun to read aloud. My kids thought my teddy bear and pirate voices were hilarious. Who doesn’t love to do a good pirate voice?

What Did My Kids Think?

Both of my kids enjoyed the story. My son liked that it was different from other pirate stories. He thought the funniest parts were when the bear talked and tried to be a pirate. In simplest terms, TEDDY BEAR + PIRATES + HUMOR = GOOD STORY in our house.

Resources:

In searching for resources related to this book, I discovered that the mascot for the Pittsburgh Pirates major league baseball team is called the Pirate Parrot. Go figure.

Pirate Crafts, Coloring, and Printables

Declare it Pirate Day in your house: Dress up like pirates (a scarf, a striped shirt, a belt, and a quick paper eye patch will do), talk like pirates, and use your imagination to turn your couch into a pirate ship set for plunder.

Whether it’s Talk Like a Pirate Day (September 19th) or not, you can always integrate pirate-based lessons into your classroom.