When it comes to supporting learning, just reading and sharing books with kids is one of the most important activities that parents and caregivers can do for young children. Just think of how crucial it is for future success, that children develop the skills to read. Listening to stories and books builds the pathways that the brain will use for learning to read. Pirate books are a treasure because books are treasures for early learning, fun and kindergarten readiness.
Not all books will appeal to kids, but pirates are pretty exciting. There are so many wonderful titles it’s hard to have favorites. The illustrations in the story Pirate Potty by Samantha Berger and Amy Cartwright are hilarious. In the book Do Pirates Take Baths there are other questions and answers. There are pirate alphabet books and stories for colors and counting; some for very young children and lots for older. Rhyming stories help ears and brains listen for small differences in the sounds of words. A few pirate stories are about girls and princesses, not just boys. There is even The Pirate of Kindergarten about a little girl who has to wear an eye patch to help her see and one about a pirate granny. These are only a few, so your first one can be just the start.
One of the basic understandings that kids need for learning to read is that the squiggles and lines on a page have a message. These marks are not just random, they are full of meaning. Families that share books with kids, have built a brain bank of about 5000 books by the time kids get to school. That means that kids have seen these strange marks called letters thousands and thousands of times. When kids do arrive at school, these letters aren’t so strange after all. Plus, the language of books is pretty familiar too. Books do not have to be about pirates to be treasures. Libraries, garage sales, and second hand stores are good treasure troves of children’s books. Do you agree that books are treasures for kids?
Q. What book do pirates like to read? A. Treasure Island.