This book goes to show that when you write a story about gingerbread men, they don't have to be plain. When we think of gingerbread men, we usually picture them with frosting smiles, gumdrop buttons, and not much else. I would've never thought about a gingerbread pirate before I read this book. I kinda wished this was a series of some sort with all kinds of gingerbread men (think about it, gingerbread cowboys, gingerbread aliens, gingerbread policemen, gingerbread superheroes, etc.) I'm sure after reading this book, you'll want to make some gingerbread pirates with your kids. If your child is anything like my 2-going-on-3 little girl, this will be a hit for you. It combines two of her favorite things--Christmas and pirates--into an enjoyable narrative. One of the attractive features of the narrative is that many pages end on a "cliff-hanger" (such as: "What Captain Cookie saw next ASTONISHED him...") that make it very good for dramatic bedtime reading. (Until she memorized the story, my excitable daughter would follow up these lines with "What's going to HAPPEN, Daddy?!" Adorable. Now, instead, I will ask her to tell me what comes next before turning the page. She likes that, too.)A couple of caveats. The first time we read it, I had to reassure my daughter that Santa was not going to actually eat the living gingerbread cookies, but once we had made it through the first time, she was less apprehensive. For a child of my daughter's age, I had to make a few substitutions--"sword" instead of "cutlass," for instance--and I thought it was a good idea to drop the word "cannibal" as applied to Santa Claus. Other than that, I can recommend this book unreservedly.
What do You think about The Gingerbread Pirates (2009)?
A creative and fun story that kids 3-10, and adults who believe in magic, will love.
—ubyr2011
