Pirates

Talk Like A Pirate Day Is Today

Today, and every Sept. 19, is Talk Like a Pirate Day. Here's a book to read to a child: Pirate Pete's Talk Like a Pirate (See all Children's Humorous Literature). 

Here's one for those who want a bit more history to chew on: The Pirates' Pact: The Secret Alliances Between History's Most Notorious Buccaneers and Colonial America (See all Ships History Books)

Whitney Matheson of USAToday complied a treasure chest of tips on talking like a pirate and other ways to celebrate. We've been celebrating for years on this blog. Keep reading for some of our favorite links.

Michelle McCue posted several Pirate-Speak glossaries from "Pirates of the Caribbean." Skip the burgoo if you have a few doubloons. You may want the salmagundi instead. 

Talk the talk: vocab lesson, video instruction, the Pirate Guys video report on the five A's, pirate laws, the pirate encyclopedia. More highlights: how a pirate dumps his date, knit like a pirate,  fly the flag.

Long John Silver Is Back! New Reading For Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Long John Silver sentenced to hang. Jim Hawkins determined to save him. A "Treasure Island" sequel. Those are the ideas that inspired John O'Melveny Woods to publish his first full-length novel, Return to Treasure Island. 

Woods, a journalist, entrepreneur and film-school graduate, said he created his own guide to talking like a pirate. He depended on this pirate glossary as he worked on the novel. From The North County Times:

"I knew I couldn't write the book in modern-day parlance, and I knew I also couldn't write it in 1880s parlance, so I had to find the balance. From my research, it looked like Stevenson invented the pirate language that is still used today. So I took it further and created a sort of pirate-language bible that would guide me as I wrote the book."

Woods also told the North County Times that his target readers were the fans of the original by Robert Louis Stevenson: 

"I had to figure out a way to get Jim back to Treasure Island, when in the original book he swore he would never return. I also wanted to keep the main characters while bringing in new characters. In the end, as a fan of the original, I just wanted to make sure I was happy with what I wrote, as a fan would be happy."

The version by Woods may not be the only Stevenson tribute novel, but it is probably the only one with its own website that plays spooky pirate music: Return To Treasure Island. 

The book makes a perfect gift for Talk Like A Pirate Day, Sept. 19.

Talk Like A Pirate -- Starting In First Grade

The "Back to School" sale signs are popping up in neighborhood stores and fresh corn is available in farmers markets. The five- and six-year-old set concentrates on squeezing the last pleasures from the few remaining summer weekends. The threshold into first grade moves closer every day.

Pirate fans now have their own way to prepare for the start of school.

Book reviewers praise the writing by James Preller and the illustrations by Greg Ruth. Here's an excerpt from the Scripps Howard review by Karen MacPherson that appeared in The Seattle Times:

Ruth shows the boy surrounded by pirates wherever he goes. Kids will love the contrast between the antics of the imaginary pirates and the regular school-day routine. 

The Bookends blog, in a post by Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan,  makes the case that Pirate's Guide will stir imaginations while it provides comfort:

The bold pictures and large size makes this a terrific book for a group while the plentiful humorous details also make it a rewarding lap book. Reassuring and packed with humor, this is a perfect choice for any small swabbie feeling a little nervous about setting sheets to the wind for first grade.

There are only a few days before school starts and less than a month to go before Talk Like A Pirate Day. This is the perfect weekend to use the power of literature to prepare yourself and any young friend.