Pirates Ahoy!

By Han Wilhelm
Published in 2004

      Everyone sometime in their life has uttered the words "I'm bored." If you haven't that props to you. I know as a child I said them when my imagination had run dry and nothing seemed like fun. Working at a daycare it almost makes me upset when I hear them, it's like my number one goal is to make sure they are never, ever bored. Especially when as an adult I see them surrounded by endless possibilities of things to do. This book is about being bored. It starts with all the animals laying around, it is quite a funny illustrations. It really grasp the mood of the story. Then they go on all these adventures as pirates conquering different ships as they go, using such vivid imagination. Then when it is all done and they are back at the farm, they express what a boring day it is.
      I think this is a comical book of imagination. It can help kids see that you really can't get bored when you can use your mind to think up so many things! Since this is fairly easy text for younger children I would do a read aloud. Then we would flip through the pages and each of them can comment on the illustrations. What different things they can see. Then as a follow up activity to get our imaginations going I will give them each a piece of blank paper. Then I will go around drawing a random line, curve, or squiggle in black marker on each of their papers. They then must try to make a picture out of it. I will have done an example beforehand so they know what I mean. It can be of whatever they want!