How I Became a Pirate

by Melinda Long Illustrated by David Shannon

When Braid Beard's pirate crew invites Jeremy Jacob to join their voyage, he jumps right on board. Buried treasure, sea chanteys, pirate talk — who wouldn't go along?

Soon Jeremy Jacob knows all about being a pirate. He throws his food across the table and his manners to the wind. He hollers like thunder and laughs off bedtime. It's the heave-ho, blow-the-man-down, very best time of his life. Until he finds out what pirates don't do: No reading bedtime stories, no tucking kids in... Maybe being a pirate isn't so great after all.

Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator David Shannon teams up with witty storyteller Melinda Long for a hilarious look at the finer points of pirate life.

Ages: 6, 7, 5
Interest Level: Grades K - 2
Grade Level Equivalent: 2.3
Lexile Measure: 470L
DRA: 20
Guided Reading: L
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Book Type: Read-Aloud Book
Number of Pages: 44
Genre: Comedy and Humor

About the Author and Illustrator

Melinda Long

David Shannon Award-winning artist and bestselling author David Shannon has long been a favorite among teachers and librarians with such titles as How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball, The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza, and A Bad Case of Stripes. His popularity skyrocketed in 1998 with the publication of his picture book No, David!