Ahoy, Followers –
Welcome to the fourth meeting of Little Buc’s Buccaneer Book Club!
I continue to hear from teachers telling me how much their students enjoyed reading:
Sammy The Seasick Pirate by Janelle Spinger-Willms
Shiver Me Letter: A Pirate ABC by June Sobel
Ten Little Pirates by Mike Brownlow & Simon Rickerty
Did you miss any of our book club meetings? Just click on Little Buc’s Adventures to the left and scroll down until you see the two posts with the title, Little Buc’s Buccaneer Book Club.
Today, I am excited to share, The Grumpy Pirate by Corine Dema and Artemis Roehrig.
As I usually do, I headed to the Bridge to begin my new book. I began reading it at the helm.
Then I decided to call Captain Campbell on the sound-powered phone and read the book to him. Bad decision! He reminded me that sound-powered phones are ONLY FOR OFFICIAL SHIP BUSINESSS. He stressed those words. That’s why I put them in all capital letters. You can be sure that I will never do that again.
To play it safe, I headed to the Mess Deck. The cadets loved reading The Grumpy Pirate. They found it very relatable. The cadets sympathized with the grumpy pirate, admitting that it is easy to find things to complain about when you are living and working on a ship at sea. They could also understand why the rest of the crew became annoyed with the grumpy pirate. Having a grouchy shipmate can really bring the mood of the ship down.
The book is packed with nautical vocabulary:
A. port hole: a circular window placed along a ship's hull that allows light and fresh air to enter the interior lower decks.
NOTE: Here is a photo of Arvia, the mega-cruise ship that docked near the TS Kennedy in Barbados over the weekend. These portholes do not open.
B. swab the deck: washing the deck of a ship with a mop
C. coil the ropes: wrapping lines in an organized way so that they may be easily stored and ready to be quickly used again
NOTE: Look at the organized wall of lines aboard the TS Kennedy!
D. helm: a lever or wheel that controls the rudder of a ship for steering
NOTE: You’ve seen a lot of photos of the TS Kennedy’s helm, right? Many of our young followers are disappointed that the training ship does not have a large wooden ship’s wheel.
E. walk the plank: walking on a plank extending over the side of a ship while blindfolded
NOTE: Many books and movies show pirates being forced to walk the plank. Surprisingly, historical records indicate that this type of punishment was rarely used by pirates. Aboard the TS Kennedy, cadets who break rules may have to miss their scheduled liberty in port.
I love books with rhyming words, don’t you? Be sure to listen for these pairs of rhyming words.
A. pout-about
B. Gus-fuss
C. grumpy-lumpy
D. grog-fog
E. smile-style
F. ropes-mopes
G. tough-enough
H. slow-below
I. crank-plank
J. friend-end
K. you-too
L. day-way
M. hot-a lot
N. brat-that
O. you-too
P. groan-tone
Q. grin-him (Hmm? Do these two words rhyme? I don’t think so!
R. true-crew
Okay, are you ready to hear The Grumpy Pirate? Let’s go!
How did you like it? Having a pirate read the book certainly made it even more exciting, didn't it.
If you do any activities related to The Grumpy Pirate, please share photos and work samples with me. The email may be sent to me at ftvsubmissions@maritime.edu.
Don’t miss the next meeting of Little Buc’s Buccaneer Book Club on Thursday, January 26th. That's right! Two book club meetings in ONE week!
We’ll be reading The Treasure Of Pirate Frank by Mal Peet.
Your favorite book-loving pirate,
Little Buc