What do you think?
Rate this book
How I Became a Pirate
Pirates have green teeth—when they have any teeth at all. I know about pirates, because one day, when I was at the beach building a sand castle and minding my own business, a pirate ship sailed into view.So proclaims Jeremy Jacob, a boy who joins Captain Braid Beard and his crew in this witty look at the finer points of pirate life by the Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator David Shannon and the storyteller Melinda Long. Jeremy learns how to say “scurvy dog,” sing sea chanteys, and throw food . . . but he also learns that there are no books or good night kisses on board: “Pirates don’t tuck.” A swashbuckling adventure with fantastically silly, richly textured illustrations that suit the story to a T.
44 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2003
59 people are currently reading
4382 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 677 reviews
September 27, 2020
I recently read
Pirates Don't Change Diapers
, the second book about Jeremy Jacob and his crew of pirate friends. When I came across the story that started it all, I just had to take a look.
In this first installment, Jeremy Jacob is just minding his own business, building a sand castle on the beach, when a group of pirates rows ashore. They're looking for a good digger, so they take Jeremy Jacob with them so he can help them bury their treasure. The kid thinks it's great... at first. But when it comes time for bed, he realizes that pirates might be fun, but they're not so great at doing things like reading stories and tucking in.
Both books feature the same highly detailed illustrations by David Shannon. The pirates are a fun bunch to look at, with their various quirks and unique characteristics. The accompanying text is simple and captures the wonder of a little boy's imagination.
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as its sequel, but I still think both books are a lot of fun. They'd be great to give together as a gift for pirate-loving readers.
Quotable moment:
In this first installment, Jeremy Jacob is just minding his own business, building a sand castle on the beach, when a group of pirates rows ashore. They're looking for a good digger, so they take Jeremy Jacob with them so he can help them bury their treasure. The kid thinks it's great... at first. But when it comes time for bed, he realizes that pirates might be fun, but they're not so great at doing things like reading stories and tucking in.
Both books feature the same highly detailed illustrations by David Shannon. The pirates are a fun bunch to look at, with their various quirks and unique characteristics. The accompanying text is simple and captures the wonder of a little boy's imagination.
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as its sequel, but I still think both books are a lot of fun. They'd be great to give together as a gift for pirate-loving readers.
Quotable moment:
July 9, 2018
Funny and an instant classic. The illustrations are brilliant and border on the grotesque. Great for K-2.
February 4, 2022
The boy was building a beautiful sandcastle on the beach. He spied a ship with the skull and crossbones flag on it. He knew all about Pirates. They had green teeth or no teeth at all. He tried to tell his dad, but he was busy setting up the beach umbrella. He tried to tell his mum but she was busy with his baby sister.
He saw the ship get closer to shore and the Pirates rowing ashore. The head pirate climbed out of the boat and yelled.
'Ahoy thar, matey! Be this the Spanish Main?' The head pirate asked.
'No,' the boy replied, 'this is North Beach.'
'What be your name, matey?'
'Jeremy Jacob, sir.'
That was the beginning of the boy's adventure. He learned about pirate treasure. He learned how to speak pirate. That's how he became a pirate. They set sail. He told them about soccer and showed them how to play until it went overboard and was eaten by a shark.
That's when Jeremy Jacob found out what pirates don't do. And a storm came blowing them all about. The mast was hit by lightning. Jeremy who was a great digger suggested the perfect spot for the pirates to bury their treasure. The pirates took him home and they buried their treasure.
I thought this was a great picture book. The illustrations are brilliant and the story enchanting and humorous. Parents reading this to young children will get a thrill of the reaction of their youngsters to the typical boy dreaming and becoming a pirate.
He saw the ship get closer to shore and the Pirates rowing ashore. The head pirate climbed out of the boat and yelled.
'Ahoy thar, matey! Be this the Spanish Main?' The head pirate asked.
'No,' the boy replied, 'this is North Beach.'
'What be your name, matey?'
'Jeremy Jacob, sir.'
That was the beginning of the boy's adventure. He learned about pirate treasure. He learned how to speak pirate. That's how he became a pirate. They set sail. He told them about soccer and showed them how to play until it went overboard and was eaten by a shark.
That's when Jeremy Jacob found out what pirates don't do. And a storm came blowing them all about. The mast was hit by lightning. Jeremy who was a great digger suggested the perfect spot for the pirates to bury their treasure. The pirates took him home and they buried their treasure.
I thought this was a great picture book. The illustrations are brilliant and the story enchanting and humorous. Parents reading this to young children will get a thrill of the reaction of their youngsters to the typical boy dreaming and becoming a pirate.
February 6, 2017
so cute! This is a bedtime favorite around our house.
June 8, 2021
3.5/5
This is a children’s picture book about a young boy who joins a crew of pirates and helps them figure out where to bury their treasure.
This is a children’s picture book about a young boy who joins a crew of pirates and helps them figure out where to bury their treasure.
February 11, 2017
(KidLit ED204 category: illustrator project)
"How I Became a Pirate" is written by Melinda Long and illustrated by David Shannon.
This is an adorable book about how Jeremy Jacob became a pirate! The illustrations bring this book to life. You can see the joy in Jeremy Jacob's face to be part of the pirate crew, because they need him to help bury their treasure! The excitement wears down when it's bedtime and pirates don't tuck each other in or tell bedtime stories! A storm breaks out and the pirates can no longer sail their ship, so they decide to bury their treasure in Jeremy Jacob's backyard.
Like I said before, I really feel like the illustrations bring this book to life, from showing emotions, to making you feel like you were really on the beach, feeling the breeze, waving goodbye to the pirate ship.
"How I Became a Pirate" is written by Melinda Long and illustrated by David Shannon.
This is an adorable book about how Jeremy Jacob became a pirate! The illustrations bring this book to life. You can see the joy in Jeremy Jacob's face to be part of the pirate crew, because they need him to help bury their treasure! The excitement wears down when it's bedtime and pirates don't tuck each other in or tell bedtime stories! A storm breaks out and the pirates can no longer sail their ship, so they decide to bury their treasure in Jeremy Jacob's backyard.
Like I said before, I really feel like the illustrations bring this book to life, from showing emotions, to making you feel like you were really on the beach, feeling the breeze, waving goodbye to the pirate ship.
March 6, 2020
The group I read it to loved the story, the illustrations, the tried and true pirate phrases, and especially the parts where all the crew pirates (and the class) chime in together.
September 3, 2023
My dad used to read me this book when I was a kid. It’s one of the few that I remember to this day. 10/10 book. Filled my mind with wonder and made me want to be a pirate.
September 4, 2019
Hate to spoil all the fun, but How I Became a Pirate romanticizes child abduction. The illustrations are uniquely creative, memorable and fun, but the underlining romanticization of kidnapping hits me personally.
In middle school, a classmate was abducted by a man and returned a year later because that man was "done" with him, because the classmate was no longer "an innocent boy".
In high school, a student I didn't know but had heard about went missing -- and that story has since died with my vague memory; I don't know what happened.
In recent years, a child was abducted and later found murdered.
When I was in grade school, my mother took my brother and I to the zoo, my brother in one of those folding strollers -- the safety of which is now considered controversial. We'd gone with family and friends, and stopped for a break. My mother turned her head away and I went to the cooler to get a drink. A stranger walked up and started pushing the stroller with my baby brother in it, as if nothing was amiss. I asked my mom -- rather loudly, because I was alarmed -- who was taking him away, and the strange woman released the stroller and walked off as if nothing happened when my mom's undivided attention went to him.
All reviews are considered personal, despite the vast amount of scams on the internet, but I consider reviews pertaining to stories to be the utmost personal. Books and film, and all that which tells a story, affects us based on our collective life experience. Thusly, I cannot in good conscience review this highly, pretending as though the romanticization is not problematic in a society wherein children are often reprimanded for not respecting every adult they come in contact with. I've seen too much darkness in the world to claim blissful ignorance about the goings-on. Ergo, even though it is meant to be a cute children's story, the dangers in society have evolved too much since 2003 for this underlying theme to go ignored.
The Amber Alert was not used nationally -- that is, across all 50 states -- until 2005.
Scenes explicitly illustrating child abduction:
The problems I have with the story is that .
Couple this with the conditioning of children who feel they can't say no to adults, regardless of relation, and must heed everything adults tell them, and you've disaster dangling on a string in front of them, like designer handbags to London Tipton.
In middle school, a classmate was abducted by a man and returned a year later because that man was "done" with him, because the classmate was no longer "an innocent boy".
In high school, a student I didn't know but had heard about went missing -- and that story has since died with my vague memory; I don't know what happened.
In recent years, a child was abducted and later found murdered.
When I was in grade school, my mother took my brother and I to the zoo, my brother in one of those folding strollers -- the safety of which is now considered controversial. We'd gone with family and friends, and stopped for a break. My mother turned her head away and I went to the cooler to get a drink. A stranger walked up and started pushing the stroller with my baby brother in it, as if nothing was amiss. I asked my mom -- rather loudly, because I was alarmed -- who was taking him away, and the strange woman released the stroller and walked off as if nothing happened when my mom's undivided attention went to him.
All reviews are considered personal, despite the vast amount of scams on the internet, but I consider reviews pertaining to stories to be the utmost personal. Books and film, and all that which tells a story, affects us based on our collective life experience. Thusly, I cannot in good conscience review this highly, pretending as though the romanticization is not problematic in a society wherein children are often reprimanded for not respecting every adult they come in contact with. I've seen too much darkness in the world to claim blissful ignorance about the goings-on. Ergo, even though it is meant to be a cute children's story, the dangers in society have evolved too much since 2003 for this underlying theme to go ignored.
The Amber Alert was not used nationally -- that is, across all 50 states -- until 2005.
Scenes explicitly illustrating child abduction:
The problems I have with the story is that .
Couple this with the conditioning of children who feel they can't say no to adults, regardless of relation, and must heed everything adults tell them, and you've disaster dangling on a string in front of them, like designer handbags to London Tipton.
July 18, 2013
I really liked this book as I was reading it to my son. He actually likes a pirate show that comes on TV so I knew he would be able to relate to the book and understand what a pirate was. The author used the writing craft of unforgettable language in this book. I think that he used this craft very well because he highlighted the phrases that he wanted to emphasize and made them in bold print and in a bigger font as well. He also was not afraid to use a lot of pirate language so that the reader could understand that it was a pirate that was talking. This really developed the characters well and showed the differences between the pirates and the little boy. I also liked how the writer had a character say something and then move on in the story and not get stuck on a conversation between characters. He would then begin explaining what happened next after the statement or question was said. This really helped the flow of the book as well which I really liked because children's book need to flow to keep their attention. If I was their writing teacher I would tell them that they did a good job on emphasizing the pirates language which brought the pirate character to real life. This is a strategy I would tell my students to use if they had a character that was from a different culture or used a different language than the rest of the characters. Writing out that characters language helps the reader relate to that character even if they are different from the rest. It's good to point out similarities and differences between characters language.
April 7, 2012
What little boy would not love a pirate adventure – and little Jeremy Jacob sees an adventure of a lifetime when a pirate ship shows up on North Beach just as he is building a sandcastle.
With his parents distracted, Jeremy takes off with Braid Beard and his posse of pirates. He learns sea chanteys and uses words like landlubber and scurvy dog. Even though a life at sea sounds fun, big storms are scary and when you do not have your mommy to tuck you in at night, the fun ebbs very quickly.
With a treasure to bury, Jeremy comes up with an idea – he knows the perfect place to hide the treasure and with luck, he will be able to make his soccer game the next day.
Little boys will love the adventure and illustrations in this book. Melinda Long and David Shannon have put together an exciting tale that will fill the imaginations of their young readers.
Note: Take notice that the little boy does wander off with strangers - so you may want to either discuss this ahead of time with your child or completely skip this book until your child is old enough to understand that this is only a make believe story and that real children should never do this.
With his parents distracted, Jeremy takes off with Braid Beard and his posse of pirates. He learns sea chanteys and uses words like landlubber and scurvy dog. Even though a life at sea sounds fun, big storms are scary and when you do not have your mommy to tuck you in at night, the fun ebbs very quickly.
With a treasure to bury, Jeremy comes up with an idea – he knows the perfect place to hide the treasure and with luck, he will be able to make his soccer game the next day.
Little boys will love the adventure and illustrations in this book. Melinda Long and David Shannon have put together an exciting tale that will fill the imaginations of their young readers.
Note: Take notice that the little boy does wander off with strangers - so you may want to either discuss this ahead of time with your child or completely skip this book until your child is old enough to understand that this is only a make believe story and that real children should never do this.
May 22, 2014
This is one of my grandson's favorite books. He asks me to read it to him almost every time he visits. My grandson loves where they end up burying the treasure and Jeremy's soccer team name, as well as many other details. :)
The only reason that I give it four stars instead of five is because I have had to explain to my grandson that it is not ok to go with strangers several times. In the book Jeremy goes with the pirates and thinks it is ok. He says that he doesn't think his parents will mind as long as he is home for soccer practice the next day. I feel that I need to remind my grandson that his parents definitely would mind if he left with anyone. On a positive note I have used the description of the pirates' teeth as a reason to brush well.
Overall, it is a great book. And I haven't gotten tired of reading it to him yet.
The only reason that I give it four stars instead of five is because I have had to explain to my grandson that it is not ok to go with strangers several times. In the book Jeremy goes with the pirates and thinks it is ok. He says that he doesn't think his parents will mind as long as he is home for soccer practice the next day. I feel that I need to remind my grandson that his parents definitely would mind if he left with anyone. On a positive note I have used the description of the pirates' teeth as a reason to brush well.
Overall, it is a great book. And I haven't gotten tired of reading it to him yet.
February 13, 2011
I have seen this book suggested numerous times. And so this really may be the book that separates me from boys, or boy readers. I have always believed somewhere in my heart that there should not be a great distinction. But this book was too much for me - as far as illustrations! I think I may just like Shannon in small doses like "No David". This: too much for me, too vivid, too scary, too many! It wasn't the story line, which seems kind of a Peter Pan-like version (ripoff~) it was the drawings I couldn't take. I know I am being such a baby but I was really worried about sleeping! I guess as a teacher, with repeated readings, I would get numb but I would want to to hold onto what I felt initially because other younger readers may also!
April 10, 2011
Braid Beard and his crew show up at Jeremy Jacobs house ready for an adventure. Jeremy decides to go on an adventure with the pirates. At first he loves being a pirate no veggies and all the freedom, until he realizes that they don't read and as for tucking him in at night they don't do that either. When the adventures bring Jeremy home they bury treasure in the backyard and off they go. Jeremy was on the pirates team and he found out that is wasn't so bad.
Teaching Moments:
Learn Pirate language- Create a dictionary of pirate words from the story.
Create your own Jolly Roger.
Design and make your own pirate hats.
Retell the story sequence from beginning to end.
Writing: Create your own pirate story.
Reader’s Theater creation from this story.
Teaching Moments:
Learn Pirate language- Create a dictionary of pirate words from the story.
Create your own Jolly Roger.
Design and make your own pirate hats.
Retell the story sequence from beginning to end.
Writing: Create your own pirate story.
Reader’s Theater creation from this story.
August 31, 2012
Basic Plot: Jeremy Jacob becomes a pirate and has some fun, but misses some of his favorite things about non-pirate life.
This was a really fun book to read to my little guy. With a decent pirate accent in my bag of tricks, and the well-written story in front of me, a great bedtime storytime was had. The art is also good quality, with lots of great facial expressions on pirates, and art that both illustrates the story and adds extra layers to it. Pirates are my boy's current favorite thing on the planet, so it's good to have a story about them that also reinforces the joys of home and non-piratey ways.
This was a really fun book to read to my little guy. With a decent pirate accent in my bag of tricks, and the well-written story in front of me, a great bedtime storytime was had. The art is also good quality, with lots of great facial expressions on pirates, and art that both illustrates the story and adds extra layers to it. Pirates are my boy's current favorite thing on the planet, so it's good to have a story about them that also reinforces the joys of home and non-piratey ways.
Read
April 1, 2011This book is so captivating! Just like the boy in the story, the illustrator has a great imagination. The boy seems bored and left out of his family so he wishes for something else, which I think is something students will relate too. But as the story goes be careful what you wish for! This is a great book to have around when students are beginning to complain about what they have.
May 8, 2008
A cute, funny book about a little boy who meets pirates while at the beach with his parents. It's a safe choice for preschoolers who are interested in pirates because of all the pop culture hype, but who aren't ready for the violence of real pirates stories.
Read
April 9, 2011How I Became a Pirate is defintely a book that the children would be sure to enjoy! It's about a young boy who gets the opportunity to become a pirate! After sharing this book with the class, a great lesson for first graders is to have them make their "How I Became a_________" story.
December 23, 2015
The kiddos (& their parents) love this one. A boy at the beach encounters pirates, becomes a pirate for a day, and finds he'd rather be a little boy at home. A great book to read aloud - I admit to having a whole lotta fun performing Braid Beard's lines.
February 6, 2014
Super cute story about a realistic boy character who gets to hang out with a band of pirates for the day. The illustrations are equally as wonderful. A good story to read aloud with expression and voices (if you can!).
October 20, 2014
Lots of good pirate vocab: Ahoy thar, matey! Shiver me timbers! Down the hatch, me laddies! And -- landlubber, scurvy dog, aargh!, me hearties, swab the deck, lower the sails, batten down the hatches, bury the treasure. A personal favorite, "run the Jolly Roger up yonder pole".
May 27, 2016
The story line for this book was ok; however, the artwork was AMAZING. It was so full rich in depth and color and I loved flipping through the pages just to look at the artwork. Since there are more in the series I definitely will invest in checking them out.
February 23, 2011
How I Became a Pirate is great for role playing, or even to turn it into a Reader's Theater. The dialogue is great to model to students on how to read with expression themselves.
September 1, 2015
My son's pirate fascination lasted a good long time. Truth be told the fascination lingers on even now that the shine has been worn down. He loved this book.
July 10, 2014
Everything that seems good, doesn't always tend to be. Jeremy learns that when he leaves his normal life to become a pirate. This is a great way for kids to explore that reading is actually fun.
December 11, 2016
A little boy becomes a pirate... and then learns it's not quite everything he wanted. Great fun, with some sweet touches.
September 5, 2018
How I Became a Pirate was a fun read. The illustrations were well drawn, colorful and appealing to the eye.
November 28, 2018
A funny short story about a child learning about being a pirate.
March 13, 2018
This is a decent, creative, pirate picture book. On to the details! I guess if anything I find the art style a little frightening. But it's more than just that and I'll get to it.
COVER
This cover is PERFECT for this book. I love the text style chosen for the cover. I think I might have gone with a slightly more stylized text for the names though. Position for everything if perfect! I love the unique picture they used as well as the image on the on the back cover. I know I criticize books that don't have any description but adding the dust jacket and having the text on the inside is perfect. Personally I'm not a big dusk jacket fan but this book needed it.
STORY/TEXT
(Goal, Set, Do type of story. Meaning it has a goal for every page and it doesn't have to be connected to any other page to get it's point across.)
The concept is basic but creative and maybe a little confusing... What I mean by confusing is that the parents don't care at all that he's taken by pirates. (Granted it's an easy way to dismiss parents in any book.) But strangely I had the impression this was story was created by his imagination at the beach. Since the alternative would be leaving him at the beach when the family went home.
(While it's lacking in closer detail I'm really glad that it's not in there because it would take a lot away from the story.)
Personally I LOVE the teaching pirates soccer page. It really packs a powerful punch with humor and personality.
STORY/ART
To get to what I meant by frightening... I really don't know what I really mean myself. The Characters a as charming as pirates can be. The characters are goofy, creative, unique, and fitting to the book. Maybe it comes from Jeremy Jacob's constant wide eyed expression that's throwing me off because I love the extras and Braid Beard. (I just love the toothless man with the white beard whiskers.)
COVER
This cover is PERFECT for this book. I love the text style chosen for the cover. I think I might have gone with a slightly more stylized text for the names though. Position for everything if perfect! I love the unique picture they used as well as the image on the on the back cover. I know I criticize books that don't have any description but adding the dust jacket and having the text on the inside is perfect. Personally I'm not a big dusk jacket fan but this book needed it.
STORY/TEXT
(Goal, Set, Do type of story. Meaning it has a goal for every page and it doesn't have to be connected to any other page to get it's point across.)
The concept is basic but creative and maybe a little confusing... What I mean by confusing is that the parents don't care at all that he's taken by pirates. (Granted it's an easy way to dismiss parents in any book.) But strangely I had the impression this was story was created by his imagination at the beach. Since the alternative would be leaving him at the beach when the family went home.
(While it's lacking in closer detail I'm really glad that it's not in there because it would take a lot away from the story.)
Personally I LOVE the teaching pirates soccer page. It really packs a powerful punch with humor and personality.
STORY/ART
To get to what I meant by frightening... I really don't know what I really mean myself. The Characters a as charming as pirates can be. The characters are goofy, creative, unique, and fitting to the book. Maybe it comes from Jeremy Jacob's constant wide eyed expression that's throwing me off because I love the extras and Braid Beard. (I just love the toothless man with the white beard whiskers.)
December 2, 2019
This silly adventure story is a fun read aloud for the younger grades (K-3). It follows the adventures of a young boy named Jeremy Jacob who is greeted on the beach one sunny day by pirates! The pirates need Jeremy Jacob's help finding the perfect spot to bury their treasure. So, Jeremy Jacob does what any young boy would do - joins them! However, after spending some time with the pirates, Jeremy Jacob realizes that he would rather be at home getting ready for his soccer game. He comes up with a clever hiding spot and a way to get back home. A familiar illustrator, David Shannon, really makes this story come to life with bright and exciting pictures.
I would use this book as a read aloud for students. To introduce the book, I would ask students if they would like to become pirates and have a discussion of why they would or would not. After reading, I would ask students if they believe Jeremy Jacob really became a pirate or if he was simply using his imagination. The responses to this question may change depending on the age group. Students can use the illustrations at the end of the story to help guide their response (we see that Jeremy Jacob's soccer team is named the "Pirates"). If you see that students are interested in this book, there is a sequel, "Pirates Don't Change Diapers", in which the pirates return! You could also interest students in informational texts about pirates.
I chose this book as a WOW book because it is a fun read aloud for the younger grades which I teach. The students can easily become engaged in the story. This story is also great for discussion. In my first grade classroom, it is important for me to choose books that students can discuss and participate in no matter what their reading level may be. I also like to choose books that students can have open-ended discussions about rather than simply answering "right there" questions.
I would use this book as a read aloud for students. To introduce the book, I would ask students if they would like to become pirates and have a discussion of why they would or would not. After reading, I would ask students if they believe Jeremy Jacob really became a pirate or if he was simply using his imagination. The responses to this question may change depending on the age group. Students can use the illustrations at the end of the story to help guide their response (we see that Jeremy Jacob's soccer team is named the "Pirates"). If you see that students are interested in this book, there is a sequel, "Pirates Don't Change Diapers", in which the pirates return! You could also interest students in informational texts about pirates.
I chose this book as a WOW book because it is a fun read aloud for the younger grades which I teach. The students can easily become engaged in the story. This story is also great for discussion. In my first grade classroom, it is important for me to choose books that students can discuss and participate in no matter what their reading level may be. I also like to choose books that students can have open-ended discussions about rather than simply answering "right there" questions.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 677 reviews