Free Digital Download: Pirate’s Alphabet

About fifteen years ago, when I was a newbie to the whole book-writing thing, I decided to try my hand at writing a kid’s book. My younger two children were only about seven, and we were super into piratey things, so the end result was a rollicking little book called Pirate’s Alphabet, which came out in 2007. Illustrator Kit Umscheid, who is an incredibly talented artist, provided the lovely artwork that follows a pirate captain and his gang through the alphabet. You can check out some of her other work over on Instagram, where she’s @illustrationbykit.

Published by Moo Press, which went out of business a few years later, this is my first Actual Published Book, and it was a huge hit with the elementary school set. It’s out of print now, but a used copy will occasionally pop up on Amazon. However, Kit and I were talking the other day, and given that so many people are stuck at home with school-age kids, we decided we’d like to share it with you as a digital download FOR FREE. It’s a PDF file, so you can read it on pretty much any device, including your Kindle.

Want to get started pillaging the high seas? Click the cover to download—and be sure to check out the Teacher/Parent Guide for some educational ideas!

Teacher/Parent Guide

If you’re a teacher using Pirate’s Alphabet—or a parent who’s trying to educate your kids while you’re reading together—try some of these activities.

Get Ready to Read: Questions for Kids

Look at the title and cover illustration. What does the word “pirate” mean? What are some words you can think of that might be in a pirate alphabet book?

Do the pirates on the cover look real, or make-believe? Do you think they’re scary pirates or friendly pirates?

While Reading

Discussion—explain that while pirates were real people and could be dangerous, the ones in the book are more comical than threatening. Observe some of the fun details in the illustrations, like the white kitten who appears on many pages, and the little boy pirate in the striped shirt.

As you read, stop to identify words that begin with the highlighted letter of the alphabet. See if you can find those words displayed in the illustrations.

Activities

• Write a pirate adventure story and illustrate it
• Make your own pirate dictionary with words from the glossary pages
• Draw a pirate map of your own house—you can even use an X to mark the spot of hidden treasure!