Submitted by Ms. Tammy!
My Life as a Chicken by Ellen A. Kelley, with pictures by Michael Slack. Pauline Poulet, a clever chicken, decides to escape from her nest after hearing the farmer discussing “Chicken Pie.” She escapes out the gate into the woods, where she is confronted by a fox, and hides inside a log. The log rolls down a hill, spilling Pauline into the water, where she’s picked up by pirates! She soon finds the captain wants her for dinner, and escapes the ship by stealing the captain’s hat and making a raft. This doesn’t last long, as the waves toss her about, landing her in a hot air balloon basket! All along Pauline is wondering will she ever find a home, as she finds herself in one bad situation after another. Finally, Pauline finds a new home in a petting zoo, where she has new friends and feels safe. See this book listed in our catalog
Pirates
Pirate Pete’s Talk Like a Pirate and Roger the Jolly Pirate
Submitted by Ms. Tess!
Avast me hearties! I hope there be no land-lubbers reading the blog today, because we love pirates here at St. Mary’s County Library! (Not the kind you occasionally read about on CNN, of course, but the kind with peg legs, and eye patches, and a propensity to shout “Arrrgh!”) Here are two wonderful books to share with your little one about our favorite sea-farers! Yo ho ho!
In Pirate Pete’s Talk Like a Pirate by Kim Kennedy, with illustrations by Doug Kennedy, we meet the captain of a fine vessel in need of a crew. With his trusty pet parrot, he sails to Rascal Island, to recruit the most qualified scallywags available. In order to join his crew, there are several things you must be able to do, but the most important is talk like a pirate! Sadly, these scurvy dogs did not get the “pirate talk” memo, like the once-promising candidate who tells Pete his beard “is quite itchy, especially during the summer when the weather tends to be sultry,” when he clearly should have said “when the sun’s a blazin’ me beard gets the itches, worse than a bucket of sand down me britches” and therefore must walk the plank…Will Pete ever find a capable crew? You’ll have to read to find out! See this book listed in our catalog
The hero of Brett Helquist’s Roger the Jolly Pirate might also need some coaching in how to be a proper pirate. He has a terrible sense of direction, he’s always smiling instead of scowling, he has a pet chicken instead of a parrot, and he’s always ready to play a rollicking sea shanty on his concertina. In short, he’s “never struck fear into any sailor’s heart.” In fact, when there’s raiding to be done, he’s sent to the brig. On one such occasion, Roger decides to bake a cake. Perhaps the other pirates will like that, and include him more. You might not think that cake baking would lead to an overwhelming pirate victory… but you’d be surprised! In fact, Roger’s attempt at manufacturing culinary delights leads his pirate colleagues to make a flag in his honor! Perhaps you’ve seen “The Jolly Roger” gracing the mast of a fierce pirate ship. Find out its origin in this book, and learn a song about it! See this book listed in our catalog
Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly
Submitted by Ms. Catherine!
A few months after my parents brought my new baby brother home from the hospital, I asked when he’d be going back. And while I might not have thought so at the time, I now know that my life would have been much less exciting without my younger brother. In Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly, written by Carolyn Parkhurst, and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino, we meet an older brother who is experiencing just how interesting life can be when a little sister tags along. Henry is determined to make a good pretend cooking show that will be just right. He will have chef hats, and the right ingredients, and the right directions. Anyone who has a little brother or sister knows that things might not go quite right for Henry. With pirate hats instead of chef hats, and a certainty that pizza is a key ingredient in waffles, Henry’s little sister drives him up the wall! But by the end of the book, Henry has decided that playing with his little sister isn’t all that bad. This is a great book if you have an older sibling at home that is sometimes frustrated with the new addition in the house, or if you just think that cooking shows can be improved with pirate hats. If you do, come back next week for Pirate Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly! See this book listed in our catalog
Port Side Pirates
Submitted by Ms. Tess!
See this book listed in our catalog
I Always, ALWAYS Get My Way
Submitted by Amanda from Lexington Park!
I Always, ALWAYS Get My Way by Thad Kranesky. Emmy is an adorable three year old who gets into trouble left and right. She spills juice on Daddy’s pants, but doesn’t get in trouble, “after all… she is only three.” She “trips” over her brother Tom’s toy race car track and destroys it, but gets out of trouble by making a “tiny little scene, and Mom yells at Tom, after all… she is only three.” She builds a dollhouse out of her sister Suzie’s stuff and Suzie get a time out for not sharing, after all Emmy is only three! She plays pirate queen and buries all her loot ( her brothers boot, she sister’s rings, and half the silverware) — when her Dad finds her, he makes her clean up, even though she is only three! Emmy gets into more and more trouble through out the book until finally Mom has had it. She dresses up her brother’s pet lizard, floods the upstairs hall, soaks her sisters shoes, and throws the lizard into her mother’s lap. After all that, Emmy is finally punished, possibly until she is four! This is a cute book about being spoiled. It is written in rhyme, and is sure to make you giggle. The great pictures depict all the trouble Emmy gets into, as well as her sweet faces, and the fits she throws to get out of trouble! See this book listed in our catalog
Henry and the Crazed Chicken Pirates
Submitted by Sue from Leonardtown!
Henry & the Crazed Chicken Pirates by Carolyn Crimi and illustrated by John Manders. The Buccaneer Bunnies are back with another adventure starring Henry and the crew of the Salty Carrot! Henry finds a message in a bottle. The message isn’t friendly at all, and Henry is worried. The rest of the crew is busy playing games, like coconut bowling, and sail swinging, when Henry tries to tell them about the note. “Stop worrying about that old note,” says Black Ear. Henry can’t, and starts reading everything he can about it. Soon he has enough information to start his own book, which he calls “Henry’s Plan for Impending Danger from Unknown Enemy Who Wrote the Scary Note.” When crazed chicken pirates finally arrive, Henry must warn everyone and save the day using his own advice from his book! Does Henry’s book help? Will the crew be saved? And what will happen to the crazed chicken pirates? If you like adventure and pirate stories, join Henry and the crew of the Salty Carrot for a swashbuckling good story. Arrrrr! See this book listed in our catalog