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Ahoy Pirates!

By Diana Rogers

Pirates seem to be very popular on the West Coast these days. In fact there’s even an International Talk Like a Pirate Day. In California, Legoland’s Pirate Shores area is composed of five pirate themed adventures with rides. Then in San Francisco, you’ll find The Pirate Shop carries an extensive array of essential pirate paraphernalia like various Jolly Roger flags, glass eyes, spyglasses and skeleton keys.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”, the fourth installment of the ever popular Disney film series is due out in the summer of 2011. The famous pirate ship Black Pearl sailed from the Bahamas all the way to Hawaii because the next “Pirates of the Caribbean” series is being filmed in Oahu. Johnny Depp will continue his role as Jack Sparrow in the film “On Stranger Tides”. So along with Titanic and Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest grossed the most money in U.S. history with $1.07 Billion.

The original score of the 2003 film Pirates of The Caribbean was composed by Klaus Badelt. My students love to play The Curse of the Black Pearl on the piano, listening to those low bass tones. For Pirates of The Caribbean; Dead Man's Chest, Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack, listening to the pipe organ and other folksy tunes just might cause you to wear an eye patch and mount a parrot on your shoulder!

Pirate stories are full of famous pirates, like Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, and Jack Rackham. I would say that pirates in the entertainment field are very popular right now and of most interest.

If you have a 3 to 7 year old Pirate Wannabe who loves reading books, then I would like to recommend two special, quality children’s books to you.

First, Barefoot Books has published Portside Pirates by Oscar Seaworthy. (What a name, so appropriate for this subject.) The fun-loving music is worth the price of the book for its catchy tune on the CD. At the back of the book, you will find great information filled with interesting facts about famous pirates around the world and famous pirates in history. The vibrant illustrations, along with the sing-song story will really capture your imagination. The book is great for little buccaneers who love pirates but don't want anything too scary to read before bed.

So, jump aboard and sing along with this courageous band of young buccaneers! After visiting Timbuktu, the crew cannot keep the Galleon from being blown off course. But don't fret, when the storm blows out, they find and explore a wreck filled with fun surprises.

Secondly, If You Want to be A Pirate by E.Winfield Scott is another great choice for children of all ages. The author, E. Winfield Scott, is a self-taught artist and developed “If You want To Be a Pirate” to the delight of the children at the community health fitness center where he works. Growing up as the son of a Marine Corp officer, he has lived all over the United States and Bavaria, Germany. He has been a positive influence with children in his work for many years. He currently resides in Colorado amidst the snow-crested Rocky Mountains where hiking, biking, and all things outdoors keep him fit and ever ready to create delightful stories.

I met the author’s mother at a friend’s birthday party and she shared this wonderful hardcover children’s book with me. It is a delightful story and song that awaits you in this enchanting peek into the life of a Pirate! Inspired by rich illustrations and lively action, children will eagerly enter into the fun-filled world of E. Winfield Scott.

Set includes “Pirate Song” on CD along with the sheet music for the piano and guitar, just perfect for rowdy pirate sing-alongs! Set on the high seas of imagination, the CD is designed to go along with the rhyme and rhythm of the text.

“If you never ever brush your teeth,
or ever change your clothes;
and never ever take a bath,
and never blow your nose…
Then you can be a PIRATE!!
A Pirate just like ME”

(Sounds very typical of a pirates lifestyle. However, I found it to be true that only once in pirate history was someone made to walk the plank!)

So when the music in the movie swells, it’s difficult to put in words what I feel and what affect it has on me. But with a swashbuckling “yo ho” swaying to the background music of the film, pirate books will continue to reveal great treasure to my grandsons and will certainly unleash the pirate in everyone. Arrrrrr!

PLEASE VISIT THE CONTRIBUTOR'S WEBSITE

Barefoot Books- LadyD
Childrens books for all cultures.
barefootbooks-ladyd.blogspot.com

The Pirate craze has really taken off since Pirates Of the Caribbean and that sail is just one instance - it's incredible! I love the shot of the pirate's boat, too.

FYI, I collected some of my favorite Pirate jokes as part of my Jokes Addict lens on Squidoo - all G-rated, about 1/5 of the way down. They're bad but good.

Too funny... "What did the ocean say to Pirate Captain Jim?"
I love this one. Andrew, thanks for stopping by.

The big yacht centre picture is somewhat different to what I can recollect from my schoolboy days. :)
Probably a Maxi Class Ocean racing type. (Note the vertical line of the fore and aft of the vessel.)
Now who won the Americas Cup?
Blackbeard would have been born a little before this time and would have been doing his deadly deeds from the forecastle of a privateer galleon.
Sorry to "Rain on your Parade" as you say on the other side of the pond.

Yes, 'tis true that this one picture is of the VO70 boat "Pirates of the Caribbean" entering Gothenburg harbor at the end of the last leg of Volvo Ocean Race 2005/2006. (The name of this yacht is The Black Pearl)... I just liked the photo and it doesn't violate any copy laws. The others are pretty cool, too. And the children love the books! :)

Thanks for stopping by,
-- LadyD

I'm astonished to learn that walking the plank wasn't customary. Thanks for clearing up that part of history.

I was shocked, too. There is an overwhelming amount of pirate facts on the net, so my only true experience of seeing someone "walk the plank" was in Disney's movie, Peter Pan with Captain Hook! As always, thanks for stopping by.

We live just 15 miles from Plymouth, Ma. Ther is a pirate boat ther that specializes in children's birthday parties.
Our grand children have been on it a number of times, with their friends.
A good time is had by all!!
Thank you for sharing, Diana.
Best wishes.
Frederick

Shiver me timbers! (a pirate would say)... just 15 miles away, what fun for the little buccaneers! (Yo-ho-ho)
Thanks Frederick.

I loved those films Pirates of the Caribbeen and I am in my fifties, so what chance the youngsters. Where I live we have the Canal du Midi which connects the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, and the reason it came into existence? So that the cargo ships could sail down the canal rather than risk the pirates around Spain and Portugal, which was the other option.

I would like to learn more about this grand piece of engineering and France keeping safe from those hostile pirates! Thanks Brian for stopping by. You live in a beautiful place! :)

The Wikipedia article cites four instances between 1769 and 1829 where plank walking seems to have taken place, with some of the instances involving more than one person at a time, but it does also state that it was relatively rare. I hope so.

Sadly there are real pirates on the international waters today, mostly trying to steal private boats and cargo, especially payroll. In a recent case (April 2010) pirates mistook a US military frigate for a merchant ship and shots were exchanged, but in most cases only the pirates have guns, as it is illegal for civilian ships to have arms. Also most of the piracy, maybe as much as 90% goes unreported so that the victim's insurance premiums do not go up. There is also privateering off some coasts, that is, illegal seizures sanctioned by local goverments, which get a percentage just as in the days of old.

Wow, thanks for all this good information. Indeed, "real pirates" is a sad ordeal and back in history they were almost romanticized and for the most part were really strange characters. I'm a YaYa (Greek Grandma) that enjoys reading kids books and making pirate costumes for grandsons. So nice to hear from you Janet, thanks for stopping by.

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