Pirates on the Farm

When Pirates on the Farm was offered by my book review program, it immediately caught my attention because my 4-year old loves cowboys, knights and... pirates. The former two are usually virtuous characters and books acclaiming their integrity are abundant. As for pirates? Well, lets just say their favorable traits are few and far between, and books for children that highlight those are rare as well. It seems like most involve and even praise feats of stealing and treasure hunting (which admittedly, is what they were known for). It appears this might be the first in a series (The Next Door Series); they introduce the pirates before the story begins, and there is a glossary of terms at the end.

Written by Denette Fretz, Pirates on the Farm has a very cute storyline. The story is told in the perspective of a farmer's daughter, who has a band of swashbuckling pirates move into the house next door in their southern community. Her younger brother is ecstatic, but her mother is less then pleased. Her father represents the gracious and compassionate neighbor, helping them find their "land legs" whenever he has extra time-- and help they need, from building their pirate ship barn, to shearing sheep. The mother and her brigade of friends almost succeed in forcing them to set sail, but in the end learn the valuable lesson of loving your neighbor and not judging on the outward appearances.

Both my older two children (a four year old and a two year old) loved this story and have requested it to be read frequently. In addition, Gene Barretta did a marvelous job on the illustrations and detail- my son is always pointing out little things here and there on every page. If your child is a pirate fan, I really recommend this book and will be purchasing copies for other little buccaneers I know!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze® book review  program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255