Quarto Kids ISBN 9781786030276 £14.99
There are echoes of Where’s Wally? and (for those of you old enough to remember) Richard Scarry’s busy books in this exploration of pirates and their world. Gold highlights on the cover reflect the booty the pirates were seeking, just as the reader is seeking out hidden items on each double-page spread. We are presented with scenes both onshore and onboard, depicting the lives and times of ten pirates – two of them women. Just as in the Where’s Wally? books the illustrations are dense and busy, full of action, each with ten hidden objects to find. To help with this, a 3x magnifying glass (plastic) is provided, though in the classroom this would probably need a place of its own or it would soon be lost, I suspect. This fun and interesting book would keep children well occupied for some time. Helpfully, answers are given at the back of the book, as is a glossary of pirate words and advice on how to talk like a pirate – particularly useful for the increasingly popular Talk Like a Pirate Day. Age range: 6-9.
Pam Dowson, retired primary teacher and PGCE tutor