Resource Roundup: Pirate Books

Resource Roundup: 

Books About Pirates 

My boys are, of course, fascinated by pirates. Every few years, corresponding to our history time period, we use books about Pirates as our weekly Biography lessons, and also sometimes as History Readers. Over the past few years, we have built a collection of favorites that we return to over and over. 

Here is a Roundup of all of our favorite books about Pirates to add to your collection! 

Pirateology 

Pirateology is one of the Ologies series that I have mentioned many times before. These books are worth every penny, and they never grow old! This one is no exception. It is packed full of pirate lore and adventure, and includes several fun "extras" to explore, such as maps and letters to unfold and open. It is a treat that can be read one page at a time and prompts much discussion. 

P is for Pirate 

P is for Pirate is one of the many books in the Sleeping Bear Press Alphabet Series , and I can only hope to one day own every one of these wonderful books. P is for Pirate is one of our favorites of the entire series, and I am forced to insist that we don't read "just a few more pages". This book in particular is written by the fabulous Eve Bunting, and like all books in the series is composed of short portions of poetry exploring the elements of Pirate history and culture, along with longer portions of informational, yet engaging, text about each topic. We read 2 letters at a time, and we have returned to it for multiple years of lessons! 
 

Pirates 

Pirates is reminiscent of the Ologies books, with thematic pages and hidden treasures to explore throughout the book. This is our most recent pirate book discovery and we enjoying comparing the information within it to what we've read in many other pirate books. Each 2 page spread contains a different aspect of pirate life and history, so you can read the book in order or skip around and create themes across multiple books. 
Note- This author also has Pirates: Most Wanted, but we haven't yet read it. 

Pirate Diary 

Pirate Diary  is one of the Richard Platt "Diary" series, which we read one at least one of each year. (This year we are also reading Egyptian Diary, and last year we read Castle Diary. We also repeat these books.) These books are realistic fictional accounts of life within different time periods, written as diary entries of a child. Pirate Diary is written as a diary kept by a young sailor whose ship is captured by pirates. These books are fun, engaging, well written, and perfect for communal learning. 

Pirates: Dead Men's Tales 

Pirates: Dead Men's Tales  is also a topical book covering a span of aspects of pirate life and history, but includes several maps and several biographies of specific pirates. It is the most beautifully illustrated in our collection, in my opinion, and has the most reliable information. We use this one as a Spine, of sorts, for our pirate readings. 

Caribbean Pirates

Caribbean Pirates  is unique from all others in our collection, in that it revolves around Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. It uses the movies to look into pirate lore, legend, and history and see what is accurate, could be accurate, and what was simply created for the screen. This is a favorite because my boys love the movies, and because it is filled with pictures of the films, paintings, artifacts from the maritime museum, and more. The content is widely varied, so it is a good reference to have to go along with any other pirate reads. 

Pirates

Pirates is a fun picture book that can be read in one sitting, used to open your study of pirates or for the youngest of your learners. It is illustrated with lovely sketches, the text is accessible, and the information covered is just enough to whet the appetite for further learning or to feed the curiosity of young children.