Nappy the Pirate Baby; Alan MacDonald, illustrated by Elissa Elwick

Ahoy there shipmates! Alan MacDonald, author of Dirty Bertie, has joined the crew of Barrington Stoke. Welcome aboard the Salty Herring where there be peril, plundering, oh wait, sorry, I misheard, there’ll be parenting!

It’s a lazy life abroad the Salty Herring where Captain Sprat and his crew enjoy eating biscuits, reading, playing Noughts and Bones and knitting. Life is grand until…”MAA-WAAAH! What on earth is that noise? Is it a whale, a ghost, a sea monster? No…it be a baby! A pirate ship be no place for a little un but the crew are sure that they can turn their hand to parenting. But are they up to the task or will they be having to walk the plank…

Nappy the Pirate Baby is a delightfully silly and funny story about family and friendship. Far from your typical pirate narrative, these pirates are not searching for treasure or terrorising the high seas, they are embarking on a whole different kind of adventure and it could be their biggest challenge yet.

Parenting pirates, a stowaway baby and no logical explanation for how the little land-lubber ended up on the ship all make for a heart-warming read that is sure to provide plenty of giggles. The pirates initial panic at what to do with the baby turns to joy as they discover they are actually quite good at the parenting lark. Before an adventure on land ensues to try and find the baby’s ma-mma which uncovers an accidental theft and culminates in a rather one-sided food fight. It is jolly good fun.

The entire book is a treat. A delightful front cover shows the motley crew of pirates and inside are several short chapters and manageable chunks of text that provide the perfect opportunity for young children to build up their reading stamina. The lively and entertaining narrative merrily skips along and is illustrated throughout, there’s even skull and cross-bone end papers. Added extras come in the form of a spot-the-difference and a maze that can be found on the inside front and back covers.

True to Barrington Stoke form, this read is printed in dyslexia friendly font and on tinted paper ensuring the book can be accessed by every child.

Recommended for 5+.