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.
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