Most bunny pirates enjoy plundering for bunny booty. Not Henry. He'd rather read. The other pirates make fun of Henry until a terrifying storm changes their mind.

I'm not sure why I've been so lucky with illustrators. Must be all those eyelashes I pluck out of my head to wish on. But I've got to tell you, John Manders is absolutely perfect for this book! I wouldn't be surprised if he has long, floppy ears and a fluffy white tail.

(Do you, John?)

Cynthia Leitich Smith interviewed us about the process of this book on her blog. If you don’t know Cyn’s blog or her website, well, you’re hopelessly out of it and I feel very sorry for you. But don’t you worry your pretty little head. You can change all that! Read the interview here:

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2005/09/author-carolyn-crimi-and-illustrator.html

Fun Stuff:

Awards:
Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award
Armadillo Reader's Choice Award

Award Nominations:
The Monarch Award
North Dakota's Flicker Tale Award
New Hampshire's Lady Bug Picture Book Award
Washington Children's Choice Picture Book Award
Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award
California Young Reader Medal
The Grand Canyon Reader Award
The Bill Martin Jr. Children's Picture Book Award
The Show Me State Award
The Colorado Children's Book Award

Go Henry!

It was also on AIME's list of Read-Aloud Books Too Good To Miss for 2005, a Child.com 2005 Best Book Honorable Mention, a JLG Selection, and #51 on Publisher's Weekly Bestseller List for 2005.

Ooo, baby, I'm one happy camper!

Activities:

There are roughly five billion fun pirate activities out there. Here are a few to get you started:

Have children design their own Jolly Roger flag. Encourage them to design one that says something about them. Sail them proudly in the hallways!

Bring in a compass for discussion. Have children design their own compass roses with N, S, E and W.

Pirate Party! Ask kids to come dressed up as pirates. Hide pretend gold coins around the room beforehand. Give them notecards with clues for finding the treasure.

Other Pirate Books:

Book List:

Sailor Moo: Cow at Sea, by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Ponder Goembel.

Everything I Know About Pirates, written and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld.

How I Became a Pirate, by Melinda Long, illustrated by David Shannon.

Do Pirates Take Baths?, by Kathy Tucker, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott