Review of "The Irate Pirate," by Jim Best

Review of

The Irate Pirate, by Jim Best ISBN 9781478792215

Four out of five stars

 The main theme of this children’s story is that as you grow up it is necessary to pursue what you want to do and not the profession that the adults in your life expect of you. Therefore, the title is a bit misleading, the main character is not an angry pirate, but an unhappy one.

 Petie is a boy attending the Pirate Training Academy. They are being taught things like how to spell and properly pronounce the pirate catchword “Arrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhh!” as well as other key pirate skills. Yet, Petie does not want to grow up to be a pirate and that attitude is clear to all, leading to him being teased by his classmates and questioned by his pirate parents.

 Eventually, there is a serious conversation between Petie and his parents about his career path and they conclude that it is best for Petie that he not be trained as a pirate. They tell him that they will continue to love and support him in whatever he decides to do.

 This is a good lesson for children, the difficulty that I have is the initial intense pressure that Petie is subjected to before he is allowed to follow his desired path. That message is just a little too strong.