Pirates & Privateers: Books for Pirate Apprentices -- Biography

One of Rosen Publishing Group's newest series of books introduces pirate apprentices to an interesting assortment of pirates who terrorize the High Seas from the 1500s through the 1800s. The books are twenty-four pages long, and include a glossary, index, and recommended websites. Each double-page spread consists of an illustration and text detailing some aspect of the pirates' lives. Children will delight in the skull-and-cutlass borders that decorate the pages and the text that appears on curled parchment with tattered and burned edges.

The Barbarossa Brothers attack ships in the Mediterranean Sea. Few books, especially those written for children, discuss the Barbary corsairs, so I'm delighted to see Arouj and Kheir-ed-din included in this series. Contrary to the title, the book is primarily about Kheir-ed-din rather than both brothers, whose red beards give them the name by which history remembers them. He becomes a legend in his own time, and Weintraub does a commendable job relating the details of his career without allowing the religion and politics of the period to overwhelm the story. The perfect book for young pirate fans who want to know about lesser-known pirates who achieve great notoriety.

Most children have heard of Blackbeard, perhaps the most notorious of all pirates. Weintraub enriches the telling of his story as she separates fact from legend. The illustrations are wonderful portrayals of the fierce pirate, who employs techniques of psychological warfare to instill terror in his victims. She also discusses his flagship, Queen Anne's Revenge, which archaeologists believe they have found along the North Carolina coast. This is the best book in the series.

In contrast, Anne Bonny and Mary Read is the least well-done of the pirate books. Little of their adventures prior to capture can be authenticated in primary documents, but the author presents these legends as fact. Also, the editing of the book is sloppy. The inclusion of some pictures will leave readers wondering why, as in the case of a map of Europe 100 years after Mary's death. The section dealing with how these two infamous pirates meet begins with "Anne and Mary had to make sure that the other pirates didn't find out they were women." Further down the page it reveals that Anne doesn't try hard to maintain her disguise, while the caption for the accompanying picture says the opposite.

Is Captain Kidd a pirate or isn't he? What does he do with all his treasure? These questions have puzzled historians for many years. The author concisely explains the circumstances surrounding this Scotsman without getting bogged down in details. Although little is known of his early life, she does include personal information about him prior to the privateering venture that results in his piracy trial. The illustrations in this book are some of the best in the series, but some younger pirate apprentices may have problems with one of Kidd's body on display as a warning to other pirates. An excellent introduction to Captain William Kidd and his adventures.

One problem that any author encounters when researching Jean Lafitte is determining whether something is legend or fact. He is a consummate master at steeping himself in mystery, never telling the same story about his background or deeds twice. Unfortunately, the author continues to perpetuate some of the myths about him. There are several factual errors in the book as well. William C. C. Claiborne, Lafitte's nemesis, is governor of Louisiana not New Orleans. The Baratarians, the smugglers and privateers who become Lafitte's men, approach him rather than the other way around. While his and the Baratarians' participation in the Battle of New Orleans is discussed, no clear explanation is given as to why their services earn them a presidential pardon and the status of heroes. Andrew Jackson is woefully short of men, ammunition, and arms, all of which Lafitte supplies. Members of the Laffite Society have done significant research into his life in recent years, but the author doesn't seem to have partaken of their findings. I also wonder why she chooses the more conventional spelling of Lafitte rather than spelling his name as he does, Laffite.

(One additional title in this series is not reviewed: Henry Morgan (ISBN 0-8239-5798-5). The publisher recommends this series for children who are 8 years old.)

Notorious Pirates Graphics set ISBN 978-1-66906-984-3, US $113.96
All titles available in other formats
Capstone Press, 2025

Black Bart: Daring Pirate of the Atlantic by Jessica Gunderson and illustrated by Matt Kinder and Jose Ramos
ISBN 978-1-66906-973-7, US $28.49
Blackbeard: Feared Pirate Captain by Jessica Gunderson and illustrated by Andi Espinosa and Jose Ramos
ISBN 978-1-66906-965-2, US $26.64
Ching Shih: Famous Pirate Commander by Stephanie Peters and illustrated by Lia Liao
ISBN 978-1-66906-957-7, US $28.49
Grace O’Malley: Pirate Queen of Ireland by Stephanie Peters and illustrated by Paulina Wyrt and Jose Ramos
ISBN 978-1-66906-981-2, US $28.49

Daughter of a chieftain and pirate, Grace O’Malley chops off her hair and hides aboard her father’s ship until they are so far out at sea that he can’t tell her to go home. The day eventually comes when her mother puts her foot down and Grace must follow the traditional role of a woman in 16th-century Ireland. Later, she returns to the sea to become a pirate leader and dares to meet face-to-face with the English queen to save her son in Grace O’Malley.

When England is at war with France, a youth named Edward Teach joins a crew of privateers, but when peace comes, he signs aboard a pirate ship captained by the infamous Benjamin Hornigold, who teaches Edward how to be a pirate. Before long, he becomes famous in his own right and earns a moniker that instills fear in anyone who crosses his path: Blackbeard.

Rather than farm the land, John Roberts joins the British Navy and seeks adventure. Later, he joins the crew of a merchant ship, which encounters pirates. He is forced to join their ranks, but soon discovers that the perks of plundering other ships will make his life richer. When his captain is ambushed and slain, the crew elects Roberts to be their commander. He chooses a new name and wreaks havoc everywhere he sails in Black Bart.

To survive, young Ching Shih serves men who visit her place of work. She overhears men talking, and she offers the information to a pirate for a price. They marry and she becomes his partner. Their success garners them many riches and much power. When her husband dies, she finds a way to continue to lead the Red Fleet and to instill fear in the heart of the Chinese emperor in Ching Shih.

Notorious Pirates is a series of four graphic novels geared toward pirate apprentices. Each pirate’s life unfolds from earliest days to the end of his or her piratical career. Fact is entwined with legend, sometimes to fill in gaps, sometimes to further entice readers. Each book is divided into five chapters and includes additional facts about the pirate, a glossary, and several internet sites where additional information can be found. The text combines dialogue and narrative to provide a cohesive tale from start to finish. The artwork grabs the reader’s attention and the artists incorporate a variety of techniques to instill emotion into the scenes. Those found in Blackbeard are particularly good at portraying victims’ terror and Blackbeard’s fearsomeness. I particularly like how the artists of this book depict the final battle between Blackbeard and Lieutenant Maynard; it’s visually stunning without being bloody and gory. Equally compelling is how the artists depict a duel between a pirate and a sailor in Black Bart.

There are some issues with the books that may or may not bother readers. Unfortunately, the inclusion of websites is problematic. It’s great to provide additional information, but not all of the URLs are current. For example, the last one listed in Grace O’Malley – Twinkl: Who Was Grace O’Malley? – is no longer viable. I did a search to see whether the URL had changed, but the information that answers the question is no longer there. Instead “Grace O’Malley” turned up a variety of visuals and activities for use in the classroom.

While most of the artwork vividly depicts scenes and action, the graphics do have some shortcomings. The clothing in Grace O’Malley is that of a later period than the one in which she lives. Vessels of the 1500s do not have staircases – nor do those of Blackbeard’s days – and the types of cannons used on the ships differ from those of later centuries. The vessels Ching Shih and her pirates sail are junks, yet those pictured show them as being predominately Western-style ships. This detracts from the setting and misleads the reader.

There are also a few historical inaccuracies. One graphic perpetuates the myth of walking the plank. The golden age of piracy does not begin in 1701; it occurs after the War of the Spanish Succession ends in the next decade. This is supposedly why Blackbeard turns to piracy. While the depiction of how he meets Stede Bonnet is humorous, in actuality, Bonnet is gravely injured and on the mend at the time Blackbeard commandeers Bonnet’s ship.

Since this series is geared toward younger pirates in training (Reading Level: grades 2-3, Interest Level: 4-6), these books will be popular with this age group and the reinforced library bindings of the hardback editions guarantee they will stand up to frequent usage. They serve as good introductions to the pirates, and the inclusion of two females and two males ensures that the books will interest girls and boys equally. The stories do gloss over some of the seamier aspects of these pirates’ lives, so parents and teachers need not worry about this. I recommend that further investigations into these pirates be paired with these books so readers receive a fuller and more accurate picture of who Grace O’Malley, Blackbeard, Black Bart, and Ching Shih really were.

Meet illustrator Paulina Wyrt
Meet illustrator Jose Ramos
Meet illustrator Lia Liao

Review Copyright ©2025 Cindy Vallar

The Pirate Meets the Queen
by Matt Faulkner
Philomel Books, 2005, ISBN 0-399-24038-1, US $15.99 / CAN $23.50

Granny O’Malley loves the sea. When her mother forbids her to sail aboard her father’s Stallion, she chops off her hair and dresses in boys’ clothes and stows aboard the galley. Ma refuses to be deterred; Granny soon finds herself wed to an Irish chief’s son. Even this fails to keep her from her first love, and over the years, she becomes a fine sailor and fiercesome pirate. Her constant attacks on English ships so angers Red Liz that the English Queen declares Granny an outlaw. Her kinfolk suffer for Granny’s piracy, but she protects them as best she can.

When her son, Toby, turns seventeen, he captains his own vessel, but his recklessness leads to his capture. Knowing the English will hang her son, Granny visits Red Liz in faraway London to ask for a pardon for Toby.

This “illuminated tale” introduces two remarkable women to children: Grace O’Malley and Elizabeth I. Told in the first person, Granny relates the important events in her life that eventually lead to her famous meeting with the English Queen, her enemy. The author confesses in his note to readers “that some of what I’ve written is true and some of it is a little fanciful. It’s the way of storytelling.” This is what makes The Pirate Meets the Queen a captivating story. He remains true to the known facts with one exception. He confuses Granny’s first marriage with that of her second. This is a minor foible, and one that doesn’t detract from the rich details and fascinating life that Granny leads. The illustrations capture the essence of Ireland, and enrich this tale of how far a mother will go to protect her child.

Meet the author and illustrator

Swashbuckling Scoundrels: Pirates in Fact and Fiction
by Arie Kaplan
Twenty-first Century Books, 2015, ISBN 978-1-4677-5252-7, $33.32
Available in other formats

Written for ages ten to eighteen, this seventy-two-page book explores real-life pirates and compares them to their fictional counterparts in literature and pop culture. Kaplan opens with the 1696 account of Henry Avery’s audacious trade of the treasure-laden Ganj-i-Sawa’i with the governor of the Bahamas, but Swashbuckling Pirates explores the history of pirates from ancient times to the present.

The book is divided into an introduction (“Of Fools and Freebooters”) and four chapters. “Scourge of the Seas” presents the early history of pirates around the world from the earliest known pirates, the Sea Peoples of the Mediterranean (circa 1200 BCE), to the wakō of eastern Asia (1200s to mid-1500s). “The Golden Age of Piracy” begins with an explanation of legal piracy and European exploration of the New World in the 16th century. Kaplan briefly mentions Sea Dog Sir Francis Drake and the buccaneers, before focusing on Captain William Kidd, pirate life after the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), slaves, and black pirates. Particular emphasis is given to Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, and Mary Read. “From Sabers to Rocket Launchers” looks at piracy after the golden age. It covers the Barbary pirates, Cheng I Sao, a Great Lakes pirate, Somali piracy, and the current resurgence of piracy in Asian waters. The final chapter (“Pop Culture Pirates”) explores pirate imagery in our daily lives and the evolution of piratical portrayals in books, movies, and television from 1713 to today. It concludes with a brief discussion of how society romanticizes these criminals.

In addition to the narrative, the book is filled with captioned pictures (artistic portrayals of pirates, maps, and artifacts in black-&-white and color) and the piratical theme is carried through from the first page to last. Parchment-like boxes spread throughout the book provide historical tidbits, such as William Fly’s execution, pirate queen Grace O’Malley, digital piracy, and the comic strip Terry and the Pirates. Period quotes are also highlighted in red lettering. The book includes source notes, a glossary, a selected bibliography, a list of books, websites, and films where readers can go for further information, and an index.

This book is easy to read and the narrative flows from one section to the next. It is a fair portrayal of factual and fictional piracy, and Kaplan makes a clear distinction between the “noble, heroic, lovable, even comic” pirate of fiction and the “dangerous and sometimes bloodthirsty” pirates throughout history. The material is current and includes mention of recent news items and films, including Captain Phillips, as well as the forthcoming release in 2017 of the next installment of The Pirates of the Caribbean series. What is surprising is the short-shrift given to the buccaneers, and no mention is made of Sir Henry Morgan, who is often called the greatest of these. Some of the text used in the world map (pages 12-13) isn’t legible in the e-book version. Also, some picture placement is questionable. For example, instead of placing the painting of Stephen Decatur fighting the Barbary pirates in the section on the Barbary Wars, it’s placed in the middle of the text on Cheng I Sao. The screenshot of Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips appears in the middle of the section dealing with television pirates, rather than with the section discussing the movie itself. The inclusion of a summary may have helped to make the ending seem less abrupt.

The price of this book may put it out of the reach of many pirate apprentices. Swashbuckling Scoundrel makes a highly recommended and worthy resource for any school or public library where the library binding will make the hardcover stand up to years of use.

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