Meet the Pirates

You might think children of 6+ wouldn't be very interested in books about history - but this is a series that they definitely will want to read! Pirates are a popular topic in schools, and one that really engages children's attention. Now they can learn all about pirates, from famous characters to scurvy and hygiene - everything they need to know is here. Each topic covers two pages, with clear labeling down the page edges to make the book easy to navigate. Each spread includes age-appropriate levels of information accompanied by limited colour palette drawings that are vivid and full of detail - with plenty of interjections from the pirates themselves! The vivid artwork and infographics give the book a fresh appeal that children won't be able to resist. * Parents in Touch *
Take an exciting trip back in time to learn about the glorious Ancient Greeks and the fearsome pirates who once roamed the seas with two fabulously illustrated, fun and informative books from talented Welsh author and illustrator James Davies. Meet the Pirates and Meet the Ancient Greeks are the two new books in a cleverly conceived series that began with entertaining studies of the Ancient Egyptians and Ancient Rome. Designed as short, eye-catching introductions to history for younger readers, these busy but fun-filled and easy-to-read explorations of history make learning facts seem like an extension of playtime. When it comes to history, there is so much to digest that it is difficult to know where to begin but Davies fills the pages with facts and figures that will amaze and interest the youngest children. There are hours of discovery in the pages... get to know the basics on Ancient Greece from religious ceremonies to day to day life, and discover the fascinating facts on pirates from famous looters to scurvy and hygiene through fabulous illustrations and a light-hearted text that is reminiscent of the bestselling Horrible Histories series. Learn about the different types of pirates, the roles and features of a crew on a pirate ship, meet some of the most feared pirates that sailed the oceans, and discover the nightmare concept of Davy Jones' Locker, the deep sea graveyard of dead pirates. And Ancient Greeks examines the lives the Hellenes (people known in modern times as the Greeks). From the fantastical myths of the heroes and monsters, and the notorious Greek gods, this journey into the ancient past explores all the well-loved aspects of ancient Greek history as well as revealing how the people ate, exercised and fought. Davies' stunning artwork and playful infographics in a limited palette provide a fresh, non-fiction approach that is sure to captivate young readers. Combined with a vibrant, snappy text, these brilliant books blow away the cobwebs from centuries of history! * Northern Regional Newspapers *
These two hardback non-fiction releases follow in the footsteps of Meet The Ancient Romans and Meet The Ancient Egyptians. In our house these books are beloved by 6 year old Kit and Mum and Dad too. The same should be true in the rest of the world as they have wide appeal.Funny, engaging and stylish, their primary aim is surely to entertain and inform. But this is no fuddy-duddy school textbook - James Davies brings new life to well-worn topics, and finds quirky extras to amuse, shock and surprise (Kit's favourite part of Ancient Egyptians is the mummification of pets!) The factual information is delivered concisely and backed up with the most amazing illustrations. So in Meet The Pirates, we learn who they were, where they came from, parts of the ship, how they navigated and so on. In Ancient Greeks, we are taken through the buildings, the myths, education, art, games and more - both volumes stretch to around 64 pages.The illustrations (I said they were amazing), add humour and humanity to each page - so we get Homer writing an epic blog; pirates claiming "This looks nothing like the brochure"; Athens' Got Talent; parrots squawking "Who's a pretty boy then?" to pirates on a catwalk; Alexander the Great sticking Post-It notes all over the countries of a map claiming 'Mine'; oh, and some cat references (follow James on Twitter for updates on his own cat, Audrey). Sometimes the humour is hysterically childish, sometimes it makes you laugh out loud, but it will always bring a smile to your face, no matter how old you are.Within the books we particularly enjoyed the cartoon retellings of historical sagas. Here James really excels with a traditional-looking cartoon format for Pandora's Box (Ancient Greeks) or The Strange Case of Alexander Selkirk (Pirates). We'd love to see James get the opportunity to work on a comic or graphic novel.We should also mention the design of this series which has been very well-considered. Olivia Cook and Marty Cleary get the credit at the front of the books - James has designed his own font, and it's clear that the whole book, from endpapers to maps, timelines, subheadings and page edges, have been thought about in great detail.Perfect for all ages; from inquisitive 5 year olds, fact-seeking 8 year olds, eager 12 year olds, unashamed 43 year olds and older - we can't live without these books at the moment, and don't think you should have to either. * Family BookWorms *

Yarr! Prepare for a voyage of discovery on the seven seas. Everybody has an image of pirates from films and stories, but who were the real-life pirates across history? What does piracy involve? Meet The Pirates is an accessible and humorous introduction to a favourite topic.
From the Vikings to the modern day pirates with GPS systems, the book is like a time-line of piracy. This book continues an already popular series which looks at the periods of history covered by the KS2 curriculum. It is easy to see why the series has taken off. The books are highly visual and the information is broken up by the illustrations. Each page contains a short amount of text. It is easy to make the mistake of looking for non-fiction books which match a child's fictional reading skills, but readers have limited patience when they are learning new facts. The information needs to be broken up, and what is there needs to be written in such a way that it is engaging and memorable, without skimping on the content.
The limited colour-palette of the illustrations makes the book look trendy and modern. They still manage to incorporate a lot of information, from the kind of pistol Blackbeard carried to the sails on different ships. The illustrations are as informative as the text.
I love the features of the book. The title of each topic is written down both sides of every spread, so readers can flick through and find the relevant information with ease. As well as informative illustrations, such as a map of trading routes and an image gallery of different types of ship, there are cartoons and humorous illustrations. The importance of comedy in children's books can't be stressed enough. For many readers, these cartoons are the reward for taking in new information.
This will doubtless be a hit with teachers and librarians, but it would also make a lovely introduction to the topic for children who have shown an interest in pirates fictional or otherwise. I am hugely impressed with these books.

* Book Murmuration *

Readers will be captivated by seafaring
mischief makers. Weapons, diseases,
food, and ships: no stone is left unturned
in this fun fact-packed series.

* Little London *

James doesn't stop there though, he spins his time-wheel further forward in history in "Meet the Pirates" - another fantastic title in the "Meet the" series, tackling the real-life subject of pirates who were the scourge of the seven seas around the 15th Century and beyond.

Learn all about some of the most famous pirates, such as Blackbeard (famous for - well, you've guessed it - a big bushy black beard and various creative ways of dispatching his enemies - ew!)

Find out what life was like on-board ship. Scurvy-raddled, dying of thirst, often missing eyes and limbs, but with the lure of booty ever-present, a pirate's life for thee? Well why not, eh? James makes it all look so fun and brilliant but there are plenty of real-life facts that show life on the ocean wave wasn't all it was cracked up to be!

* Read it Daddy *

You can't talk about oceans without talking about pirates too, which is the perfect excuse for me to show you one of the new titles in the 'Meet the...' series. Sticking with his trademark illustration style and limited colour palette, Davies introduces readers aged 6+ to the life of a pirate.
Clearly laid-out and highly engaging, Davies' humorous approach to historical fact make these an excellent choice for younger readers. Learn about a pirate's ship of choice, the golden age of pirateering and the one thing all pirates were scared of!

* Library Girl and Book Boy *